Observation start time: 06:30:00 Observation end time: 15:00:00 Total observation time: 8.5 hours
Official Counter: Kiah Jasper, Michael Burton-Smith
Observers: Chip Ogglesby, Hugh Kent, Jaron Wilkinson, Juliette Herdman, Kiah Jasper, Michael Burton-Smith, Mike Jaber, Noel Herdman, Robin Smallwood
Visitors: Thanks to Kiah for his help running the count today (and for identifying the Winter Wren!), and to Hugh, Noel, Julie, Mike, Jaron and Robin for assisting us both on the tower. It was also lovely to be joined by Christine, Brian and Fran throughout the day.
Weather: Clear skies throughout the day with high barometric pressure keeping things bright. Gentle southerly breeze weakening in the afternoon.
Raptor Observations: We've counted nearly 180,000 raptors this year and yet there are still new things to see on the tower! Kiah looked through his scope with a wry smile and said, "Now this is a new one for the season!" A white rump, but a tail too short and round for a Northern Harrier. A black terminal band, but a body too small for a Golden Eagle... A Rough-legged Hawk! That lifts us to 143 species for October, the second highest total in HBMO history, and levels us with 2024 for 180 species by October 19.
Otherwise, raptors were mostly limited to frustrating specks on the horizon (the game of close starling or distant vulture will not make it as a popular sport), but it was great to see a decent number of Red-tailed Hawks in the later part of the day with a few Red-shoulders amongst them.
After a long discussion about when we last saw Canada's emblematic mammal, Noel's mid-morning shout of "BEAVER" was better comedic timing than you'd get from a Monty Python skit. Also on the non-bird list were our two muskrats, a few late Black Saddlebags and Monarchs, and some Midland Painted Turtles crossing the path on a quest for warmer water.
On the bird front, we may need to petition that the European Starling is renamed the Holiday Beach Starling, with 38,010 flying over the tower today! There were notable movements of Horned Lark (172), American Crow (214), American Pipit (165) and Red-winged Blackbird (5580). The second latest Indigo Bunting in HBMO history was a nice bonus, as did nine Eastern Meadowlark flying over the marsh in the early morning.
Predictions: Gentle northerlies and clear skies overnight may facilitate another movement in waterfowl, so it will be worth keeping an eye out over the marsh and on the lake tomorrow morning for any new arrivals. The northerly breeze through the day will hopefully push the Turkey Vultures closer to the tower, along with other raptors following them on the thermals. ======================================================================== Report submitted by Michael Burton-Smith () Holiday Beach Hawk Watch information may be found at: http://hbmo.ca/
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Date: 10/19/26 3:07 pm From: <reports...> Subject: [birders] Detroit River Hawk Watch (19 Oct 2026) 1672 Raptors
Detroit River Hawk Watch
Brownstown, Michigan, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 19, 2026
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Observation start time: 08:00:00
Observation end time: 16:00:00
Total observation time: 7.5 hours
Official Counter: Gracie Sangmeister
Observers: Andrew Sturgess, Bill Peregord, Don Sherwood,
Erika Van Kirk, Rebekah Graham
Visitors:
We welcome visitors to our site at the Lake Erie Metropark Boat Launch. We
are always willing to discuss the events of the day. Let us share our
enthusiasm with you. There will be busy days, that may require our full
attention, but those are not that frequent, and they provide great thrills
for all. We can predict good days to some degree, but the exact hour is up
to the birds, so be prepared to put in some time for the best results. Pack
a lunch.
Weather:
The Beaufort Scale says that whitecaps begin to form at eight to twelve
mph. Lake Erie had whitecaps today despite the readings from our weather
site, which did not indicate that speed until later in the day. The wind
direction, which wandered a little from south-southwest to south gave it
free rein to run unimpeded across Lake Erie�s fetch. This was giving a
serious push to the migrants, who were passing to the north in a very hazy
sky. Like a magic act, turkey vultures would disappear in the haze, simply
melting away into nothingness. The light winds at the start of the watch
led to a very slow start, it took over two hours to see the first turkey
vultures. At the end of the watch the winds spiked to ten mph, twice the
predicted speed. The day was pleasant looking again. Clear blue skies
greeted us and stayed all day. The temperature reached sixty-seven degrees.
The barometer tumbled over a tenth of an inch but started at a very high
pressure; despite the drop, it was still over thirty point three at the end
of the watch.
Raptor Observations:
Turkey vultures bided their time getting started today, waiting for the
winds to pick up. The overhead flyovers from yesterday were a distant
memory today. Distant being the operative word, as we had to strain to see
them on the edge of visibility. Scope-eye was a real threat today. We
managed to find one thousand, four hundred and fifty-four of the elusive
travelers today. Red-tailed hawks were up for the move, mostly sticking
with the vultures� streams, but a few gave us closer looks. One hundred and
two, of many varied plumages, passed though our portal. Sharp-shinned hawks
were close with ninety specimens. We always seem to have about a ten to one
ratio of red-tails to red-shoulders, and so it was today with twelve
shoulders rapidly flapping along. Seven kestrels rolled through. One was
the number for Cooper�s hawks, merlins and bald eagles.
Non-raptor Observations:
The skies were clear of clouds and of most birds, other than raptors today.
The pelicans made brief appearances but in small numbers. Forster�s terns
are still plucking minnows from the river. There are still plenty of
cormorants around, although the monster raves they were holding out on the
lake seem to have run their course. The gulls were not seeking insects
today, staying closer to earth riding the waves. A seemingly crazed
yellow-rumped warbler took a run at Rebekah today, for reasons unknown. The
blue jays have nearly run their race with four hundred and twenty-one
today. The American crows were not far behind with three hundred and
sixteen. Two tardy monarchs were headed south for warmer climes.
Predictions:
If only we had wind predictions that we could trust. Tomorrow seems to
start off with good winds, northeast at around six mph, they will veer to
the east as the day progresses. The temperature should be about the same as
today, sixty-six degrees. Clouds are predicted to return to about half the
sky tomorrow. Perhaps they will provide relief from staring at the BSOD
that we have had to endure the last few days. If the wind predictions come
true, we should at least be able to see the migrants that are motivated to
move much better than today.
========================================================================
Report submitted by Andrew Sturgess (<ajyes72...>)
Detroit River Hawk Watch information may be found at:
http://www.detroitriverhawkwatch.org
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Observation start time: 07:00:00
Observation end time: 15:00:00
Total observation time: 8 hours
Official Counter: Paul Gosselin
Observers: Alessandra Kite, Chad Cornish, Daniel Lee, Jaron Wilkinson,
Karen Padbury, Kiah Jasper, Michael Burton-Smith,
Mike Jaber, Wade Carlton
Visitors:
Huge thanks to our counters: Mike , Kiah, Jaron, Chad, Karen, Alessandra,
Daniel, Michael and Wade. Was nice to meet Taylor K, Sandra, Leni and the
large number of people who visited the tower during HawktoberFest!
Hopefully everyone enjoyed the spectacle of hawk migration.
Weather:
A chilly morning turned into a beautiful crisp autumn day with sunny skies,
southwestern winds and a high temperature of 18�c
Raptor Observations:
Turkey Vultures (8798) had another great day streaming across the clear
sky. A Golden Eagle gave us a surprise as it crossed far to the north at
the last hour of the day. Can we get another tomorrow for 3 in the row?
Sharp-shinned (224) and Red Tailed (108) filled the gaps between the Turkey
Vulture flights. Northern Harriers (24) gave us a good showing of a few
Gray Ghosts.
Non-raptor Observations:
The marsh is starting to fill up with 10 duck species including large
numbers of Northern Pintail (190), Gadwall (350) and American Wigeon (98).
First noticeable movement of Horned Lark (35), American Pipit (43) and Pine
Siskin (23). 5 Warbler species are still hanging around with,
Orange-Crowned, Nashville, Palm, Blackpoll (3) and a large flock of
Yellow-Rumped (103). A very round raccoon was spotted in the marsh by an
excited Michael!
Predictions:
Weather looks to be very similar to today. Sunny, low southwestern winds
and a high of 18�C. We can hope expect similar movements in Raptors.
Fingers crossed we get another Golden Eagle day for 3 in a row.
========================================================================
Report submitted by Paul Gosselin (<paulgosselin25...>)
Holiday Beach Hawk Watch information may be found at:
http://hbmo.ca/
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Date: 10/18/26 3:24 pm From: <reports...> Subject: [birders] Detroit River Hawk Watch (18 Oct 2026) 6700 Raptors
Detroit River Hawk Watch
Brownstown, Michigan, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 18, 2026
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Observation start time: 08:00:00
Observation end time: 15:00:00
Total observation time: 7 hours
Official Counter: Gracie Sangmeister
Observers: Andrew Sturgess, Bella Maiwurm, Bill Peregord, Don Sherwood,
Jerry Jourdan, Michelle Peregord, Rosemary Brady
Visitors:
We welcome visitors to our site at the Lake Erie Metropark Boat Launch. We
are always willing to discuss the events of the day. Let us share our
enthusiasm with you. There will be busy days, that may require our full
attention, but those are not that frequent, and they provide great thrills
for all. We can predict good days to some degree, but the exact hour is up
to the birds, so be prepared to put in some time for the best results. Pack
a lunch😊
Weather:
�When the frost is on the punkin and the fodders in the shock!� (JWR) On
the surface, a very pleasant fall day., starting with frost and continuing
to a bright blue dome with nary a cloud to block the photon�s eight minute
and twenty second journey from the sun. Anxiety levels were low today since
the Lions were taking the week off. Runners were running the international
marathon between Detroit and Windsor. What�s not to like? The southwest
winds were, again, the fly in our ointment today. Starting at a modest six
mph, it nearly tripled in strength to seventeen mph, far more than
projected. As the wind rose, our count fell as birds were pushed to the
north into a hazy sky. The temperature rose to sixty-two degrees. The
barometer peaked at a high of thirty point fifty-six, one of the higher
readings we have seen. As the wind rose, the barometer took a tumble of a
tenth and a half.
Raptor Observations:
When the winds were less robust, we had a steady stream of turkey vultures,
albeit on different flight lines during the morning hours, some harder to
track than others. TV�s ruled the roost again with six thousand, four
hundred and fifty-eight red-headed strangers. Sharp-shins kept them company
to the tune of one hundred and forty-six. Red-tailed hawks were on the move
with the vultures, interspersed in their streams were fifty-four of their
ilk. Kestrels were next on the list with seventeen, one escaping a
determined chase by a herring gull. Ten northern harriers plodded through
in their own distinct style. Seven bald eagles also crossed. Three
red-shouldered hawks were also seen flashing the red. Two Cooper�s hawks,
and one apiece of merlins and peregrines completed the count.
Non-raptor Observations:
We saw the male kingfisher for the first time in a while this morning. The
pelicans numbered forty or more, at times they were drawn to the streams of
the turkey vultures, flying alongside them. A Carolina wren was practicing
his overture this morning. We may have had a sighting of one of the
red-throated loons in the area. It certainly had a different flight posture
than the common loons we see frequently. The image quality of the pictures
is low, however, and may not prove our case. Three young Bonaparte�s
visited this morning, sampling the wares of our slip. Forster�s terns are
still here, but the Caspians may not be. A multitude of gulls had a moment
today, occupying the sky over us at many very high elevations hawking
insects. The blue jays are tapering off, four hundred and seventy-eight
came by today. The crows were taking a day of rest, except for one of their
number. One monarch was hurrying to catch up.
Predictions:
Tomorrow should be a near copy of today. Sunny skies, slightly higher
temperatures, and southwest winds. The wind strength should be lower,
although the predictions have been off a little lately. The barometer will
still be solidly in the high-pressure range. Turkey vultures will fly and
if the winds are down in the five to six mph range, as predicted, we should
be able to see them.
========================================================================
Report submitted by Andrew Sturgess (<ajyes72...>)
Detroit River Hawk Watch information may be found at:
http://www.detroitriverhawkwatch.org
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Date: 10/18/26 6:11 am From: 'Daniel Thiry' via Birders <birders...> Subject: [birders] Strawberry Lake Livingston co.
Letting folks know my folks property at
4859 Gallagher rd. Whitmore Lake 48189
It is up for sale.
It’s an amazing spot with wonderful birding year round but particularly in the winter as the river stays ice free and draws large amounts and varieties of waterfowl plus others.
I’m sorry to see it go. It would be wonderful if a birder or nature enthusiast was to purchase it.
I’m afraid for it otherwise.
Take good care all,
Dan Thiry
Sent from my iPhone
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Date: 10/17/26 5:45 pm From: <reports...> Subject: [birders] Detroit River Hawk Watch (17 Oct 2026) 8934 Raptors
Detroit River Hawk Watch
Brownstown, Michigan, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 17, 2026
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Observation start time: 08:00:00
Observation end time: 16:00:00
Total observation time: 7.75 hours
Official Counter: Gracie Sangmeister
Observers: Andrew Sturgess, Bella Maiwurm, Bill Peregord, Don Sherwood,
Michelle Peregord, Rosemary Brady
Visitors:
We welcome visitors to our site at the Lake Erie Metropark Boat Launch. We
are always willing to discuss the events of the day. Let us share our
enthusiasm with you. There will be busy days, that may require our full
attention, but those are not that frequent, and they provide great thrills
for all. We can predict good days to some degree, but the exact hour is up
to the birds, so be prepared to put in some time for the best results. Pack
a lunch 🍁
Weather:
Blue skies spanned above the line of picnic tables for the entirety of the
day, providing landmark-less backdrop for the incoming array of raptors
(and corvids). The day started at 40 degrees, peaking at 54, and provided
an official cold welcome to fall. Sunny skies tried to keep counters warm.
Winds were shifting throughout the day, spanning from the northeast to the
west southwest and staying between 5 and 10 mph. Barometer measurements
were high today, reaching 30.50 by noon.
Raptor Observations:
�Let us praise the noble turkey vulture�he contemplates our little world
from a most serene and noble height�. In agreement with Edward Abbey, our
counters were happy to see streams of turkey vultures continuously
throughout the day. The birds took a low route around noon, providing
fantastic views for visitors to the site. By late afternoon they were back
to their serene and noble height, high above the picnic tables, almost a
speck in the sky. 8,783 made their way south. Though red-tails picked up
speed with 52 individuals, sharp-shins still took second with 58.
Red-shoulders tied with harriers as 12 of each were counted. Two late
broad-wings were seen. Bald eagles, Cooper�s hawks, and the trifecta of
falcons rounded out the crew.
Non-raptor Observations:
Our first crows of the season have arrived! 23 of them intermingled with
turkey vultures to cross overhead. Hopefully we will get many, many more.
Migration is in full swing for waterfowl as well, with over one thousand
cormorants and 800 Canada geese passing in long lines. The pelicans were
back in decent numbers today, 107 cruising back and forth. The sky was
filled with tree swallows and ring-billed gulls, seeming to fill the areas
of clear blue sky where the raptors did not (and sometimes also covering
the raptors. Oh how I love to pick out wobbly turkey vultures from behind
flittering swallows). Golden-crowned kinglets, a brown creeper, and
yellow-rumped warblers hopped around on the nearby maples. 2 monarchs and
1,135 blue jays made their way south as well.
Predictions:
Sunday will continue with sunny skies and will bring a rise in temperature
(a whole 8 degrees!), and 62 will feel positively balmy after today. Winds
will be coming between 10 and 15 mph from the southwest, the opposite of
what we�d like in a perfect world, but hopefully the raptors will make do.
The barometer will stay high, creating that favorable lift. Between the
sunny skies and high barometer, the turkey vultures and other assorted
raptors may power through the opposing winds. Likely in fewer numbers than
today, but we will appreciate whatever comes.
========================================================================
Report submitted by Erika Van Kirk (<erika_vankirk...>)
Detroit River Hawk Watch information may be found at:
http://www.detroitriverhawkwatch.org
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Observation start time: 07:00:00 Observation end time: 15:00:00 Total observation time: 8 hours
Official Counter: Paul Gosselin
Observers: Alessandra Kite, Cameron Chevalier, Chad Cornish, Chuck Sharbaugh, Corinne Allsop, Daniel Lee, Jaron Wilkinson, Kiah Jasper, Kit McCann, Kory Renaud, Matt Brannagan, Michael Arthurs, Mike Jaber, Noel Herdman, Robin Smallwood
Visitors: Several visitors braved the chilly conditions to see the wonders of migration, including Craig and Nicole. A huge thank you to the large cast of all-stars who showed up to help with the count: Paul, Kiah, Cam, Chad, Noel, Alissandra, Jaron, Daniel, Michael A., Kit, Corrine, Chuck, Robin, Matt, Kory, Mike J.
Weather: A chilly and clear start on the tower at 7.9C, with northern winds gusting right through us; many would run back down the stairs to grab more clothing. Eventually the sun warmed us up, and the wind eventually made it around to SSW by end of day.
Raptor Observations: Sharp-shinned Hawks wasted no time in getting up and moving early (371), but Turkey Vultures would eventually run away with the trophy; 8939 of these dihedral dynamos would stream past the tower all day (a new sport, the Turkey Vulture Counter Relay was created today). American Kestrels made a late surge, and a sneaky Merlin chose to fly very close when all cameras were packed away. The star of the show however was our first Golden Eagle spotted at 10:05am, with good looks had by all from the tower.
Non-raptor Observations: A good variety of ducks on the marsh today, and American Pelicans provided great entertainment all day with their tight aerial formations. Five Red-throated Loons were spotted over Lake Erie, and two White-winged Crossbill were seen and heard chattering away over the tower - a first for Essex this season. The ebird list can be found here: https://ebird.org/checklist/S403204100
Predictions: Tommorow's forecast for Hawktoberfest calls for a little more warmth, sunshine, and gusty southwest winds. With less than ideal wind direction, a good showing of raptors will be hoped for regardless. ======================================================================== Report submitted by Chad Cornish (<mail...>) Holiday Beach Hawk Watch information may be found at: http://hbmo.ca/
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Date: 10/16/26 6:27 pm From: <reports...> Subject: [birders] Detroit River Hawk Watch (16 Oct 2026) 141 Raptors
Detroit River Hawk Watch Brownstown, Michigan, USA Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 16, 2026 -------------------------------------------------------------------
Observation start time: 08:00:00 Observation end time: 15:00:00 Total observation time: 6 hours
Official Counter: Gracie Sangmeister
Observers: Bella Maiwurm
Visitors: We welcome visitors to our site at the Lake Erie Metropark Boat Launch. We are always willing to discuss the events of the day. Let us share our enthusiasm with you. There will be busy days, that may require our full attention, but those are not that frequent, and they provide great thrills for all. We can predict good days to some degree, but the exact hour is up to the birds, so be prepared to put in some time for the best results. Pack a lunch ☀️
Weather: A bit of drizzle right at the start of the count, but clearing out quickly, but returning at periods during the day. Temps hovering around 60, stronger W/NW winds in the 10-15mph range, and dark heavy cloud cover. Chilly and damp today, and the count ended early due to more rain in the afternoon.
Raptor Observations: With the strong winds from an adverse direction for this site in addition to the weather in the area, there were more birds than expected. The bulk of the flight was turkey vultures, as it has been the past handful of days, all appearing low to the east and very slowly meandering their way across the channel. A small handful of sharpies and one red-tail also made their way south, flying low over the treetops.
Non-raptor Observations: Our local passerines and waterfowl are headed south. One yellow-rumped warbler chipped from our nearby maple while flocks of red-winged blackbirds passed by overhead. Two Carolina wrens struck up a lively conversation in the shrubbery behind the count. One can only imagine what they had to say, but it was as enthusiastic as always. Three hundred Canada geese honked by, in groups of five to twenty. The cormorant tree was full, the late migrants choosing to hang out for a while longer. One pied-billed grebe made a reappearance for our counters delight.
Predictions: Tomorrow will be our coldest count day yet, with temperatures reaching 53 degrees by the afternoon. The clouds will clear and southwest winds will be between 5 and 10 mph, not ideal for the site. The barometer will average around 30.48, nice and high to lift our birds. Sunny skies, high pressure, and southwest winds make for an odd combination. Hopefully our turkey vultures will brave the wind and wobble their way past the site on their way south, bringing an assortment of accipiters and buteos with them. ======================================================================== Report submitted by Jerry Jourdan (<jerry.jourdan...>) Detroit River Hawk Watch information may be found at: http://www.detroitriverhawkwatch.org
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Observation start time: 07:00:00 Observation end time: 14:00:00 Total observation time: 7 hours
Official Counter: Michael Burton-Smith
Observers: Bob Hall-Brooks, Hugh Kent, Kiah Jasper, Liz Kent, Mike Jaber, Noel Herdman, Paul Gosselin, Robin Smallwood
Visitors: Thanks to Kiah, Noel, Mike, Hugh, Liz, Bob, Robin and Paul for helping conduct today's count and for keeping spirits high in spite of the dreary conditions! It was also lovely to be visited by Fred, John and Nate.
Weather: Very overcast throughout the day with modest westerlies and temperatures hovering in the mid-teens. Dark clouds loomed over the west for most of the afternoon until the heavens finally opened around 1400 EST, cutting the count short.
Raptor Observations: Other than a busy first two hours as the Turkey Vultures woke up and set out across the Detroit River, the day went fairly well to script for the raptors. Northern Harriers and Sharp-shinned Hawks passed through at a fairly steady pace through the morning, with the occasional Turkey Vulture flying over the northern edge of the marsh. A close flyby of an immature Peregrine was the day's raptor highlight.
What a day for mid-October! With 71 species recorded, we were kept busy even when the raptors were slow. Two runaway highlights were a flyover Western Cattle-Egret close to the tower, and an adorable Northern Saw-whet Owl whose cryptic roost was given away by the alarm calls of Ruby-crowned Kinglet. Also of note was a very large passage of American Robin (1593), the highest single day count in HBMO history, and a reasonable movement of Lesser Yellowlegs (50).
On the other hand, some things were notable in their absence. Duck numbers are well down on the past few days, especially Ring-necked Duck and Gadwall. The hedges around the tower are no longer soundtracked by meowing Catbird, mixed warbler flocks no longer pick at dogwood berries, and Ruby-throated Hummingbirds no longer battle on the feeder. As George R. R. Martin infamously declared, winter is coming!
Predictions: Clearing skies into the night coupled with northerly winds make for great nocturnal migration conditions, so keep an eye open for new sparrows in the park and new waterfowl on the marsh tomorrow. During the day, moderate northerly winds and clear skies overheard create plenty of potential for armadas of Turkey Vulture and other soaring raptors, so keep looking up! ======================================================================== Report submitted by Michael Burton-Smith () Holiday Beach Hawk Watch information may be found at: http://hbmo.ca/
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Date: 10/15/26 3:22 pm From: <reports...> Subject: [birders] Detroit River Hawk Watch (15 Oct 2026) 4748 Raptors
Detroit River Hawk Watch
Brownstown, Michigan, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 15, 2026
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Observation start time: 08:00:00
Observation end time: 17:00:00
Total observation time: 8.25 hours
Official Counter: Bella Maiwurm
Observers: Andrew Sturgess, Don Sherwood, Johannes Postma, Mark Hainen,
Rebekah Graham, Rebekah Graham , Rosemary Brady
Visitors:
We welcome visitors to our site at the Lake Erie Metropark Boat Launch. We
are always willing to discuss the events of the day. Let us share our
enthusiasm with you. There will be busy days, that may require our full
attention, but those are not that frequent, and they provide great thrills
for all. We can predict good days to some degree, but the exact hour is up
to the birds, so be prepared to put in some time for the best results. Pack
a lunch😊
Weather:
Today was a dreary affair compared to the late afternoon golden-hour light
that we had yesterday. The sun never made it to our roosting spot, although
a band of blue was seen over the lake slowly approaching�.very slowly. The
predicted rain didn�t quite reach us either, although the sky to the
northwest looked ominous at times. We started off with a northeast wind
that veered around to the east eventually, changing the flight lines but
never really stopping the flow. The strength stayed in the five to ten mph
band with some occasional ebbs and gusts. Temperatures hit sixty-one
degrees. The barometer was falling and will accelerate its rate of
decrease, losing six tenths of an inch by tomorrow. A significant drop that
will bring significant winds.
Raptor Observations:
Turkey vultures ruled the day. At first appearing in kettles over Canada
and Celeron Island, and later as the winds changed, emerging like ethereal
specters from the gray gloom that enveloped us. It was difficult to
pinpoint their origin later in the day as they chose diverse paths to
follow. They kept coming throughout the day, not as plentiful as yesterday,
but four thousand, six hundred and twenty-three showed their little red
heads. Their fellow travelers included fifty-one red-tails and forty-six
sharpies, to complete the medal winners. Seven Cooper�s hawks were added to
the tally. Seven was also the lucky number for red-shouldered hawks. Six
harriers were noted. Four broad-wings rode the rails today. Only two
kestrels were seen, with one bald eagle and one merlin rounding out the
total.
Non-raptor Observations:
The pelicans and cormorants were feasting out on the lake this morning, not
in spectacular numbers but the fish were still displeased. Forster�s terns
were noted today but we were fairly busy and did not see the Caspian terns.
For some reason, perhaps a photo-period thing, the ring-bills and mallards
seemed noisy and energetic today, drawing attention to themselves with the
ruckus they were making. The gulls were still up hawking insects today. A
Carolina wren was singing early in the watch. Mute swans seem to be
multiplying in numbers and flying by with their whistling wings more often.
Four thousand, nine hundred and twenty-three blue jays continued to
evacuate Canada, most of them bound for my feeder which has peanuts for
them to chisel open. One brave monarch did a solo flight today.
Predictions:
Tomorrow could be difficult to predict. The barometer should be sharply
rising as the watch starts. However, rain is forecast and although it is
predicted to end pre-watch, one never knows. Cloud cover will be similar to
today. Winds will peak at twenty mph from the west at the lowest pressure
point during the rain, but should gradually fall over the day, most of it
happening after the watch. Fifteen to twenty mph winds are challenging for
both counters and the counted. The winds are northwesterly, so a lot of
traffic may take the shortcut over the lake out of our sight. We are
looking at another very large high-pressure system moving in, in the
ten-day forecast the barometer is fairly flat from Saturday until next
Saturday. Very light winds will be common after tomorrow�s die down. I
think tomorrow may depend on the rain system, how long it takes to clear,
and where it goes after it heads east. The high winds are going to play
their part too.
========================================================================
Report submitted by Andrew Sturgess (<ajyes72...>)
Detroit River Hawk Watch information may be found at:
http://www.detroitriverhawkwatch.org
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Observation start time: 07:00:00 Observation end time: 15:00:00 Total observation time: 8 hours
Official Counter: Michael Burton-Smith
Observers: David Wharton, Juliette Herdman, Mike Jaber, Noel Herdman, Paul Gosselin, Peter Veighey, Robin Smallwood, Stephen Courtney, Wade Carlton
Visitors: Thanks to Noel, Mike, Wade, Peter, Steve, David, Paul and Robin for your help on the tower today, and to Emily and her wonderful first and second grade classes who came up with lots of questions about all the birds!
Weather: A modest northerly continued throughout the morning, switching to a south-easterly in the afternoon. Mainly cloudy skies, with some sunny patches around midday.
Raptor Observations: Cooper's Hawk were the big talking point today, with our highest count for the season so far. There were several good movements of Turkey Vulture both in the mid-morning and in the mid-afternoon, with the usual lunchtime lull in-between. It has been nice to see a continued trickle of Red-tailed Hawk, as well as a few fantastic Red-shouldereds including one perched with the cormorants in the early afternoon!
Looking out over the lake is getting more and more rewarding, with a very exciting Black Scoter seen flying in the afternoon along with several scaup and a Common Loon. This is the fifth time a Black Scoter has been recorded as part of the HBMO hawk count.
On the marsh, dabbling ducks and Ring-necked Duck continue to show in good numbers, as well as great views of a first year Lesser Black-backed Gull flying with Ring-billed Gulls of various ages, allowing for a great comparison between the two species. The Muskrat couple were busily feeding in the late afternoon, giving our best views of them this season.
Predictions: While tomorrow probably won't break any records, the slight northerly component to the westerly winds may bring in some raptors as the day progresses. Turkey Vultures will likely pass by in dribs and drabs, and cloudy skies can correspond with a bit more activity from our falcons and Northern Harrier. If you do join us tomorrow or over the weekend, keep an eye out for Dark-eyed Juncos on the trails and in the parking lot. ======================================================================== Report submitted by Michael Burton-Smith () Holiday Beach Hawk Watch information may be found at: http://hbmo.ca/
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JacksonAudubon Society - Haehnle Sanctuary Crane Count 10/12/2026 by Don Henise
You can view past postings and historical crane countingdata on
Haehnle web site
JASBlog page
And on the JAS or Haehnle FB pages
Regards,Steve Jerant
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Date: 10/14/26 4:37 pm From: <reports...> Subject: [birders] Detroit River Hawk Watch (14 Oct 2026) 7930 Raptors
Detroit River Hawk Watch
Brownstown, Michigan, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 14, 2026
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Observation start time: 08:00:00
Observation end time: 18:00:00
Total observation time: 9.25 hours
Official Counter: Gracie Sangmeister
Observers: Andrew Sturgess, Bella Maiwurm, Bill Peregord, Don Sherwood,
Mark Hainen, Rebekah Graham
Visitors:
We welcome visitors to our site at the Lake Erie Metropark Boat Launch. We
are always willing to discuss the events of the day. Let us share our
enthusiasm with you. There will be busy days, that may require our full
attention, but those are not that frequent, and they provide great thrills
for all. We can predict good days to some degree, but the exact hour is up
to the birds, so be prepared to put in some time for the best results. Pack
a lunch😊
Weather:
It took some time for the clouds associated with the rain system that
passed this morning to clear. Gradually, in the early afternoon hours, we
started to see shards of blue peeking through the dense layer of stratus
cloud. Eventually, the sky cleared leaving only cirrus clouds done with a
broad stroke instead of the normal delicate wisps. The avian traffic seemed
to tick upwards as the clouds dispersed. We had a traveling wind today with
the barometer rising. Northerly winds that took some time to get rolling
held promise, although the winds were higher than anticipated and settled
in the ten-mph neighborhood with some minor variations in strength. The
barometer climbed back over thirty inches during the watch, gaining a
little over a tenth of an inch. The temperature was exactly twenty degrees
lower today than the record setting eighty-seven degrees yesterday.
Raptor Observations:
We finally had some work to do today, eventually working past the normal
quitting time. The turkey vultures led the way, of course, with seven
thousand, seven hundred and eight. Wagner came to mind as the Valkyries
streamed overhead in bomber formations bringing along a few friends with
them. We counted thirteen species of raptors today with one unusual one.
Sharp-shins gave us another day over the century mark, in a normal year we
would sometimes do that in an hour, but one hundred and twenty in a day is
the new normal. Red-tailed hawks beat out the kestrels for that coveted
remaining spot on the podium with thirty-three birds to the kestrels
thirty-one. Twenty-two harriers came by, including a couple of gray ghosts.
Three bald eagles were counted, and the same number of red-shouldered hawks
hitched a ride with the TVs. Two was the number for falcons other than
kestrels with a brace of merlins and peregrines. We also counted two
Cooper�s hawks. One was the loneliest number for ospreys, a late
broad-winged hawk and perhaps our star of the day, a second-of-the-season
Swainson�s hawk. This bird was spotted in a kettle of turkey vultures and
streamed out with them. It took some time for the show to unfold, but those
who stayed the course were well rewarded with great migration views.
Non-raptor Observations:
Over two hundred and fifty pelicans made eBird today. First seen out on the
lake in the company of cormorants and gulls settled over a bait fish
school, they made frequent flights, including some in which they appeared
to be kettling with the vultures. Great blue herons and great egrets were
noted in the air today, the log that was frequently used as a perch has
floated free from the vegetation and is not currently in use. The
ring-bills and herring gulls were hawking insects with aerobatic moves
today. Swallows are also hitting the bugs hard. The blue jays liked the
wind with five thousand, two hundred and fifty-four fluttering by. Monarchs
also rose to the occasion with sixteen passing by.
Predictions:
Our favored northeastern wind seems to happen overnight before the watch
commences tomorrow. For the watch, the winds will be veering around the
compass towards the east in the five to ten mph range. The barometer will
climb slowly, but then take a sharp drop as rain may appear in the
afternoon hours near the end of the watch. Cloud cover will be nearly
complete. Given these conditions, it is not likely that we will repeat
today�s numbers.
========================================================================
Report submitted by Andrew Sturgess (<ajyes72...>)
Detroit River Hawk Watch information may be found at:
http://www.detroitriverhawkwatch.org
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Observation start time: 07:00:00 Observation end time: 16:00:00 Total observation time: 9 hours
Official Counter: Michael Burton-Smith
Observers: Hugh Kent, Liz Kent, Michael St. Pierre, Noel Herdman, Paul Gosselin, Peter Veighey, Robin Smallwood
Visitors: Thanks to Hugh, Liz, Peter, Robin, Mike and Noel for helping conduct the day's count. An extra special thank you (and likely much-needed thumb and eye surgery) to our Turkey Vulture Counter-in-Chief, Paul, who did the lion's share of clicking today. It was great to be visited by Bob, Julie, Brad, Brandi and Amelia who got to share in the overhead delights.
Weather: The forecast didn't entirely come to fruition, with more rain overnight than expected continuing into the early morning, leading to a very overcast start to the day. Things remained chilly and gray until the early afternoon, when the sun finally beamed through and created some nice thermal uplifts. Steady northerly winds, increasing in the afternoon, and temperatures in the upper-teens.
Raptor Observations: In the early morning, gray skies and a chill in the breeze seemed to be a boot in the rear for Northern Harriers, Sharp-shinned Hawks and American Kestrel, with all three moving by in good numbers. Kestrel in particular were notable, with between 100 and 150 passing by each hour around midday. Despite the commotion in the skies above, there was still a sense of futility about another day without Buteos.
Then, when the sun broke through and the winds began to increase, everything changed in an instant. Kestrels almost completely dried up and Turkey Vultures ominously emerged from the forest to our north. First in tens, then in hundreds, then in thousands. I am sure I wasn't the only one humming John Williams' "Imperial March" as they streamed by! Among them were a handful of late Broad-wings and Red-tails and then, divinely, finally, a Red-shouldered Hawk! One turned into two which turned into five, and before long they were a regular presence in the skies above. The curse has been broken! No Bolden Sneagles, however.
Today's count broke a number of records. Most significantly, we have smashed the record for most raptors recorded in a single season in HBMO history, surpassing 150,000 birds for the season so far! We also snuck past 22 October 2024 for the tenth best Turkey Vulture day on record, and placed our sixth best ever day total for Northern Harrier. What a day!
The big story for non-raptors was the overhead passage of our diurnal passerine migrants, with American Goldfinch (717) and Blue Jay (10710) in good numbers and our first sizeable counts of American Pipit (187) and Pine Siskin (63).
The clear skies early last night corresponded with a slight change in waterfowl, with around three-hundred Ring-necked Ducks departing and increases in Gadwall (182) and Northern Shoveler (34). Around the tower we had a great little group of Golden-crowned Kinglet and good views of Swamp Sparrow. We also had a late Eastern Wood-Pewee, one Ruby-throated Hummer and a brief sighting of an American Beaver.
If you are a fan of European Starlings I recommend getting to Holiday Beach as soon as you can, with 10890 swarming to the north of the marsh.
Predictions: We will probably see a bit of a flip in the script tomorrow, with clear skies and a northerly wind in the morning turning south-east and cloudy in the afternoon. Hopefully we will see a nice bunch of Turkey Vultures waking up and making the most of those morning thermals, before things quiet down in the afternoon. ======================================================================== Report submitted by Michael Burton-Smith () Holiday Beach Hawk Watch information may be found at: http://hbmo.ca/
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Observation start time: 07:00:00 Observation end time: 15:00:00 Total observation time: 8 hours
Official Counter: Michael Burton-Smith
Observers: Bob Hall-Brooks, Hugh Kent, Mike Jaber, Paul Gosselin
Visitors: Thanks to Hugh, Paul, Mike and Bob for helping conduct today's count, and it was lovely to be joined by Pille and Ralph. As always, it was great to chat to Emily and her third, fourth, and fifth graders - however, it was a great relief that none of them asked us to explain what the Snapping Turtles were doing!
Weather: Thunderstorms late last night meant high temperatures and humidity early in the day, and even as the day progressed it stayed warm, peaking in the mid-twenties. A slight southerly wind through the day, with minimal cloud cover in the afternoon.
Raptor Observations: Walking up the tower today, Hugh declared "at least we won't have to worry about Turkey Vultures for a couple of hours!" Twenty minutes later, Mike pointed out 105 Turkey Vultures flying overhead. Otherwise, the day went more or less as expected, with good numbers of raptors in the morning before dropping off as the day went on.
We had another strong day for Peregrines and Sharp-shinned Hawk, with Northern Harrier and American Kestrel trickling through as you would expect for mid-October. The small alarm bell is the drop off in any of our Buteo species, with Red-shoulders and Red-tails both suspiciously absent over the past week.
As projected, the clear skies early last night led to a little influx of migratory ducks and warblers, with three Tennessee's and two Nashville Warblers and notable increases in Ring-billed Duck (940), Northern Pintail (46) and Gadwall (69, including one almost white individual) on the previous day.
It was a very entertaining day for our non-bird list, with a cheeky Racoon on the marsh, a couple of White-tailed Deer bravely strutting across the hunt club lawn, a lot of Midland Painted Turtles hanging in the sun, and a nice little movement of dragonflies around midday.
The award for standout sighting has to go to our two Common Snapping Turtles, who for almost an hour-and-a-half "reinforced their marital bonds" right in front of the tower. While peak mating is between May and June, they are opportunistic breeders and have been known to breed as late as November.
Predictions: North winds overnight and clear skies until the early hours might see another little wave of ducks and passerines, and we are long overdue for something more than a White-throated Sparrow on the cracked corn!
The northerly should hold throughout the day tomorrow, meaning we should see a decent passage of Turkey Vultures and a nice diversity of our other regular raptors. Will we see our first kettle of Red-shouldered Hawks or, not to jinx it, maybe even something that rhymes with Bolden Sneagle?? ======================================================================== Report submitted by Michael Burton-Smith () Holiday Beach Hawk Watch information may be found at: http://hbmo.ca/
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Date: 10/13/26 2:33 pm From: <reports...> Subject: [birders] Detroit River Hawk Watch (13 Oct 2026) 771 Raptors
Detroit River Hawk Watch
Brownstown, Michigan, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 13, 2026
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Observation start time: 08:00:00
Observation end time: 15:00:00
Total observation time: 7 hours
Official Counter: Gracie Sangmeister
Observers: Andrew Sturgess, Don Sherwood, Mark Hainen, Rebekah Graham
Visitors:
We welcome visitors to our site at the Lake Erie Metropark Boat Launch. We
are always willing to discuss the events of the day. Let us share our
enthusiasm with you. There will be busy days, that may require our full
attention, but those are not that frequent, and they provide great thrills
for all. We can predict good days to some degree, but the exact hour is up
to the birds, so be prepared to put in some time for the best results. Pack
a lunch😊
Weather:
Aeolus, the keeper and king of the winds, allowed Notus, the god of the
south wind, to run wild today. He whipped up hot winds from the south to
help us set a new high temperature in the D for this date. Breaking 1975�s
record of eighty-three, we achieved eighty-six degrees today. Thankfully
for us, the wind had a tempering effect on the heat and no hawk-watchers
were harmed during the making of this watch. The wind speed reached
twenty-one mph at its peak and was consistently robust throughout the day.
The barometer was essentially flat, around twenty-nine point eight during
the watch. Skies were of the blue dome variety, the only exception being a
delicate tatted lace veil of high cirrus clouds that sailed through in
midafternoon. They were perhaps foretelling the rain that may fall tonight
as the wind turns more northerly and much cooler.
Raptor Observations:
Not our favorite wind, and I suspect the birds were tired of fighting it
too. The turkey vultures were never seen kettling today. Some over the tip
of Canada looked almost like they were kiting, holding station into the
wind while they staged this morning. Eventually, six hundred and
seventy-eight of them took a circuitous northern route to reach us, most in
a slow trickle with only occasional clumps of double digits. Sharpies were
moving today in more ways than one, getting bounced around beyond their
control as they navigated the typhoon. Seventy-six managed to break though,
although the later hours were not as productive as midday. Kestrels made
double digits, but barely, with eleven trying to maintain an even keel in
stormy seas. The hat-trick was achieved with two merlins and one peregrine
falcon. Three northern harriers fought their way over as well.
Non-raptor Observations:
Rebekah G. got her black duck today, as one flew by with a pair of
mallards. Thanks to the keen eye of Don S. for spotting that lifer for her.
We had a visit from a young Bonaparte�s gull today who latched on to a
fish that made us think that its reach had exceeded its grasp, but it
managed to swallow it after a few minutes of effort. Caspian and Forster�s
terns are still present. The pelicans were seen today but not in great
numbers. Swallows and swifts are still present, mostly working the sky over
Celeron Island. Since the winds were pushing the raptors to the north,
Celeron had few callouts today. Blue jays were staying low behind the trees
today, but fifteen hundred and eighty-seven were counted. Six hardy
monarchs were also noted.
Predictions:
Change is coming tomorrow. The barometer will be rising, the winds will be
from the northern direction and the temperatures will be about twenty
degrees cooler. Although we will be heading into high pressure, the clouds
will still be present, perhaps diminishing during the day. Rain may fall as
the winds change direction and cooler air prevails, but it should be almost
finished by the start of the watch. The barometer will climb tomorrow, peak
and then drop quickly on Thursday, with more rain as we go into another
low-pressure system. The wind speed should be more moderate at four to
eight mph.
I suspect birds will be on the move tomorrow once the rain passes. The
front, with its rain, may affect the flight to the east of us so it may
take some time for the birds to reach us. Hopefully, the birds do not take
the shortcut across the lake as they sometimes do on this wind.
========================================================================
Report submitted by Andrew Sturgess (<ajyes72...>)
Detroit River Hawk Watch information may be found at:
http://www.detroitriverhawkwatch.org
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Date: 10/13/26 4:28 am From: Mike Goethe <michael.goethe...> Subject: Re: [birders] Dark-Eyed Juncos
Several juncos at Wolcott Mill Metropark (Ray Twp, Macomb County)
yesterday.
--
Mike Goethe
Rochester Hills, MI
On Tue, Oct 13, 2026, 3:10 AM Fred Kaluza <fredkaluza...> wrote:
> No RBNH here but have had Golden-Crowned Kinglets the last couple days.
> ------------------------------
> *From:* Carol Furtado <carolfurtado2...>
> *Sent:* Sunday, 11 October 2026 08:34:17
> *To:* Mag Tait <magtait1...>
> *Cc:* Marilou Capo <mjcapo...>; <fredkaluza...> <
> <fredkaluza...>; <birders...> <birders...>
> *Subject:* Re: [birders] Dark-Eyed Juncos
>
> Hi I’ve had juncos for a while now but the hummers have a
> Been gone for awhile
> Has anybody had red breasted nuthatches?
> Sent from my iPhone
>
> On Oct 10, 2026, at 1:33 PM, Mag Tait <magtait1...> wrote:
>
> I haven’t seen them in my backyard, although I haven’t had much of a
> chance to look. My neighbor that lives around the corner, saw two 3 days
> ago.
> My last hummer was on Tuesday! That’s late for me. Still have the feeders
> up.
> Sent from my iPhone
>
> On Oct 10, 2026, at 12:34 PM, 'Marilou Capo' via Birders <
> <birders...> wrote:
>
>
> No Juncos in Bloomfield Hills yet, but had a Ruby-throated Hummingbird
> yesterday.
>
> In a message dated 10/10/2026 7:49:43 AM Eastern Daylight Time,
> <fredkaluza...> writes:
>
> have arrived in the Port Huron Area. Anyone else seeing them now?
>
>
>
> --
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> www.glc.org
>
> Messages and content distributed on Birders are the sole responsibility of
> the subscriber providing such content and
> do not reflect the views, policy or position of the Great Lakes
> Commission.
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> https://groups.google.com/a/great-lakes.net/d/msgid/birders/<SJ2PR02MB97088ED5087E4F113798BA6CFC912...> > <https://groups.google.com/a/great-lakes.net/d/msgid/birders/<SJ2PR02MB97088ED5087E4F113798BA6CFC912...>?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer> > .
>
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Date: 10/13/26 12:10 am From: Fred Kaluza <fredkaluza...> Subject: Re: [birders] Dark-Eyed Juncos
No RBNH here but have had Golden-Crowned Kinglets the last couple days.
________________________________
From: Carol Furtado <carolfurtado2...>
Sent: Sunday, 11 October 2026 08:34:17
To: Mag Tait <magtait1...>
Cc: Marilou Capo <mjcapo...>; <fredkaluza...> <fredkaluza...>; <birders...> <birders...>
Subject: Re: [birders] Dark-Eyed Juncos
Hi I’ve had juncos for a while now but the hummers have a
Been gone for awhile
Has anybody had red breasted nuthatches?
Sent from my iPhone
On Oct 10, 2026, at 1:33 PM, Mag Tait <magtait1...> wrote:
I haven’t seen them in my backyard, although I haven’t had much of a chance to look. My neighbor that lives around the corner, saw two 3 days ago.
My last hummer was on Tuesday! That’s late for me. Still have the feeders up.
Sent from my iPhone
On Oct 10, 2026, at 12:34 PM, 'Marilou Capo' via Birders <birders...> wrote:
No Juncos in Bloomfield Hills yet, but had a Ruby-throated Hummingbird yesterday.
In a message dated 10/10/2026 7:49:43 AM Eastern Daylight Time, <fredkaluza...> writes:
have arrived in the Port Huron Area. Anyone else seeing them now?
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Observation start time: 07:00:00 Observation end time: 15:00:00 Total observation time: 8 hours
Official Counter: Michael Burton-Smith, Mike Jaber
Observers: Bob Hall-Brooks, David Wharton, Hugh Kent, Liz Kent, Robin Smallwood, Stephen Courtney
Visitors: Thanks to Mike and Hugh for stepping in as official counters this morning, and to Liz, David, Steve, Bob and Robin for helping conduct the day's count. It was a busy thanksgiving at Holiday Beach, and it was lovely to be visited by Toni, Lou, Pille, Julian, Savannah, John, Heather, David, Lori, Cecile, Donald and Ute!
Weather: Very misty in the early morning with limited visibility, mostly clearing by the afternoon. It was surprisingly muggy later in the day, with temperatures in the low twenties, high humidity and very little breeze.
Raptor Observations: No winds and muggy skies make for poor migrating conditions, but we did still have some very positive raptor moments. This included a few moderate kettles of Turkey Vulture, a really good showing for October Sharp-shinned Hawks, and a particularly spectacular male Merlin posing for us in the afternoon.
Like a Tuesday at a washed-up Las Vegas casino, today's non-raptor list didn't really have a headline act. Blue Jays were on the move again with 7060 passing over, and Ring-billed Duck numbers continue to swell on the marsh. Otherwise, there was very little bird activity.
On the non-bird list, it was fantastic to see an endangered Blanding's Turtle make the arduous journey across six feet of flat paved footpath in the late afternoon. These spectacular reptiles are nicknamed "the turtle with the sun under its mouth" due to their beautiful yellow chins.
Predictions: Clear skies and mild winds early tonight may bring in some new migrants such as waterfowl or sparrows. Raptor-wise tomorrow will be a bit of a mixed bag, with clear skies creating nice thermals but a southerly wind pushing most birds north of us. We will hopefully see another large movement of Turkey Vultures as they wake-up in the late morning, thinning out to a more quiet afternoon. ======================================================================== Report submitted by Michael Burton-Smith () Holiday Beach Hawk Watch information may be found at: http://hbmo.ca/
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Yes! Raptors of SE Michigan. Alysha is the top person there. Her phone number is (616) 443-0120
You may have to leave a message but she WILL call you back. Meanwhile, keep the bird confined in a dark box or other container in a quiet area…
Dody
On Oct 12, 2026, at 5:09 PM, 'Marilou Capo' via Birders <birders...> wrote:
Does anyone know of a raptor rescue/rehabilitation organization in southeast Michigan? We have a juvenile Cooper's Hawk with what looks to be an injured foot. Could use some advice.
Thanks!
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Call the Howell Nature Center and see if they can help.
On Mon, Oct 12, 2026, 5:09 PM 'Marilou Capo' via Birders <
<birders...> wrote:
> Does anyone know of a raptor rescue/rehabilitation organization in
> southeast Michigan? We have a juvenile Cooper's Hawk with what looks to be
> an injured foot. Could use some advice.
>
> Thanks!
>
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Date: 10/12/26 2:16 pm From: <reports...> Subject: [birders] Detroit River Hawk Watch (12 Oct 2026) 217 Raptors
Detroit River Hawk Watch
Brownstown, Michigan, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 12, 2026
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Observation start time: 08:00:00
Observation end time: 15:00:00
Total observation time: 7 hours
Official Counter: Gracie Sangmeister
Observers: Andrew Sturgess, Don Sherwood, Johannes Postma, Mark Hainen,
Rebekah Graham, Sam Heilman
Visitors:
We welcome visitors to our site at the Lake Erie Metropark Boat Launch. We
are always willing to discuss the events of the day. Let us share our
enthusiasm with you. There will be busy days, that may require our full
attention, but those are not that frequent, and they provide great thrills
for all. We can predict good days to some degree, but the exact hour is up
to the birds, so be prepared to put in some time for the best results. Pack
a lunch 🎩
Weather:
Overcast skies and heavy fog in the distance for the morning hours, then
clearing up to bright blue skies and some lingering haze in the distance.
Temps from about 60 to high 70s, and SW wind around 15mph shifting to more
due S wind and dropping in strength by the end of the count. This was the
kind of day where layers were being put on and taken off consistently
throughout the day until the sun was pleasantly beating on our backs in the
late afternoon.
Raptor Observations:
A bit of a change of pace from the last few days of the count, with
sharpies topping turkey vultures in terms of numbers for the first time in
weeks. No large kettles of turkey vultures appearing over Canada and
slowly making their way over, just a few small kettles or individual birds
appearing to the north and moving behind the tree line. Sharpies darted
through for most of the day, with a few harriers and a red-tail mixed in.
We did achieve the falcon hat trick, with three migrant peregrines, six
kestrels, and one single merlin that zipped by late in the day.
Non-raptor Observations:
The water was low out by the jetty, the Canada geese being seen standing
comfortably in front of it first thing this morning. The pelicans were
later observed in deeper parts mid-lake. Both species of terns (Forster's
and Caspian) were out and about, though few in number. Swifts continue to
delight us in the mornings, while swallows have fallen off. A few mallards
flew by, none dark enough to be an American black duck. An even nine
hundred blue jays migrated today, as did sixteen monarchs.
Predictions:
For those who missed last month's weather, we'll have all the makings of a
classic midwest summer day tomorrow�hot, humid, and sunny. Temperatures
will scrape the top of 80F, so bring your lightest layers, a hat, some
sunscreen, and maybe a gatorade to get through the day. Southwest and west
southwest winds in the 12-17mph range are predicted, and the barometer will
stay above 29.73". Similar to today, tomorrow's conditions are not ideal,
but will likely tempt a few more Sharpies into an inefficient travel day.
========================================================================
Report submitted by Erika Van Kirk (<erika_vankirk...>)
Detroit River Hawk Watch information may be found at:
http://www.detroitriverhawkwatch.org
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Does anyone know of a raptor rescue/rehabilitation organization in southeast Michigan? We have a juvenile Cooper's Hawk with what looks to be an injured foot. Could use some advice.
Thanks!
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Date: 10/11/26 2:57 pm From: <reports...> Subject: [birders] Detroit River Hawk Watch (11 Oct 2026) Raptors
Detroit River Hawk Watch Brownstown, Michigan, USA Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 11, 2026 -------------------------------------------------------------------
Observation start time: 08:00:00 Observation end time: 12:15:00 Total observation time: 4.25 hours
Official Counter: Gracie Sangmeister
Observers: Erika Van Kirk, Rebekah Graham
Visitors: We welcome visitors to our site at the Lake Erie Metropark Boat Launch. We are always willing to discuss the events of the day. Let us share our enthusiasm with you. There will be busy days, that may require our full attention, but those are not that frequent, and they provide great thrills for all. We can predict good days to some degree, but the exact hour is up to the birds, so be prepared to put in some time for the best results. Pack a lunch 🥞
Weather: "The rain is like someone doing raspberries in your face all day," as one of the brave souls in today's hawkwatching group eloquently put it. A very light, almost non-stop misty drizzle descended upon us as we vainly searched the stratus covered skies. Winds were consistently easterly, but switched their north-south angle every hour. The barometer slowly sank, dropping from 30.07" to 30.03" during observation hours.
Raptor Observations: At this point in the season we're usually able to promise a turkey vulture or a sharpie to any new comers, out-of-towners, and golden eagle hopefuls should they stay for an hour, but today we scraped the barrel even deeper, pointing out literally any bird that flew by. This was our first observed zero countable migrant day since September 2nd. The best we did raptor-wise was a single local Cooper's hawk that flew east across the channel and into someone's backyard, and then west less than five minutes later from the tip of Gibraltar Island into the metropark woods.
Non-raptor Observations: The cormorants were gathered in decent numbers close to shore at the start of the count. Swifts, not many in number, fluttered by overhead. Two shorebirds and a handful of ducks flew distantly from us. The pelicans made a distant appearance by the jetty. Several ring-billed gulls swooped around, and two fought over a small fish one had caught. The most drama of the day were two balls of starlings that flew briefly overhead in tight coordination, their wings creating a vibration that sounded like the quick thrum of a machine.
Predictions: Southerly winds will dominate tomorrow in the 7-10mph range, and skies will be overcast until noon. The barometer will stay below 30.00", and temperatures will be warm, potentially reaching 75F by the end of the count. Conditions are not ideal, but we've seen birds migrating through worse. Chances are at least a few will be restless after today's sky spitting kept them down and will try to make it through on the morrow. ======================================================================== Report submitted by Erika Van Kirk (<erika_vankirk...>) Detroit River Hawk Watch information may be found at: http://www.detroitriverhawkwatch.org
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Observation start time: 07:00:00 Observation end time: 15:00:00 Total observation time: 8 hours
Official Counter: Paul Gosselin
Observers: Hugh Kent, Jaron Wilkinson, Liz Kent, Mike Jaber, Robin Smallwood
Visitors: Huge thanks for our counters: Robin, Jaron, Hugh, Liz, and Mike for sticking it out with the rain. Nice to meet Kelly and Jamie, Julian and Savannah, and Suzanne and Adam from Woodstock!
Weather: Wind was favorable with a NE direction for most of the day, however the rain and cloud cover stopped raptor movement in its tracks.
Raptor Observations: Big winners for today are Northern Harriers (8) followed by Peregrine (3) and Sharp-shinned (3). Was a slow day on the tower due to weather. Raptors flew solo throughout the day for a grand total of 17.
Non-raptor Observations: American Pelicans (277) kept our spirits up with their flight formations. A late Nashville Warbler and a Northern Parula along with 5 other warbler species were spotted around the tower. Great to see a flock of Brown-Headed Cowbirds (43). To everyone's anguish only (43) Blue Jays were seen flying.
Predictions: Unfortunate southwestern wind may push birds further away from tower. Mainly cloudy that may clear up late morning. Remaining hopeful. ======================================================================== Report submitted by Paul Gosselin (<paulgosselin25...>) Holiday Beach Hawk Watch information may be found at: http://hbmo.ca/
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Date: 10/10/26 6:02 pm From: <reports...> Subject: [birders] Detroit River Hawk Watch (10 Oct 2026) 1528 Raptors
Detroit River Hawk Watch
Brownstown, Michigan, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 10, 2026
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Observation start time: 08:00:00
Observation end time: 15:00:00
Total observation time: 7 hours
Official Counter: Gracie Sangmeister
Observers: Andrew Sturgess, Bella Maiwurm, Bill Peregord, Don Sherwood,
Erika Van Kirk, Michelle Peregord, Rosemary Brady,
Sam Heilman
Visitors:
We welcome visitors to our site at the Lake Erie Metropark Boat Launch. We
are always willing to discuss the events of the day. Let us share our
enthusiasm with you. There will be busy days, that may require our full
attention, but those are not that frequent, and they provide great thrills
for all. We can predict good days to some degree, but the exact hour is up
to the birds, so be prepared to put in some time for the best results. Pack
a lunch 🪿
Weather:
Overcast skies with tiny bits of blue showing through, temps in the high
50s jumping up to low 70s by the afternoon, and E wind around 5mph swinging
around to more southerly wind and picking up speed to the 10mph range by
the end of the count. The lake wind kept it chilly but overall a very
pleasant fall day.
Raptor Observations:
Today left the counter�s debating whether what they were focusing on were
eye floaties or distant turkey vultures. A dihedral shape and wobbly float
south made the determination. By days end, one thousand three hundred and
ninety-six vultures inched their way southward. Sharp-shins were next up,
with forty-eight migrants. Red-tails are picking up steam, with thirty
individuals passing by. Harriers were seen in groups of two and threes,
with twenty-five overall. Seven late broad-winged flapped on, what a ways
they have yet to go. A handful of kestrels, merlins, and peregrines were
seen, and a lone osprey and bald eagle.
Non-raptor Observations:
Thank you to the volunteers and visitors from today who helped add birds to
the list for October�s Big Day! Together forty-five species of raptor,
passerines, and waterfowl were counted from the count site. The highlights
were an orange-crowned warbler mixed in with the usual yellow-rumps, hermit
thrush, and golden-crowned kinglets flitting about the trees. The caspian
and forster�s terns made late afternoon fly-bys, chatting as they went per
usual. Two common loons were seen traveling through. The majority of the
pelicans have left, but six hung out by the jetty most of the morning
before departing, hopefully we have not yet seen the last of them. Two
thousand and forty-five blue jays picked their way south, along with
eighteen late monarchs.
Predictions:
Rain showers expected for the early hours of the count, but remaining
cloudy skies for the rest of the day. Easterly wind around 7 mph and temps
in the high 50s/low 60s. With the impending rain, birds may not be too
enthusiastic about moving, but the last few days of determined vultures
even with poor winds shows that we will just have to see what tomorrow
brings!
========================================================================
Report submitted by Erika Van Kirk (<erika_vankirk...>)
Detroit River Hawk Watch information may be found at:
http://www.detroitriverhawkwatch.org
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Observation start time: 07:00:00 Observation end time: 15:00:00 Total observation time: 8 hours
Official Counter: Paul Gosselin
Observers: Daniel Lee, David Wharton, Hugh Kent, Ian Woodfield, Jaron Wilkinson, Jeremy Bensette, Kit McCann, Liz Kent, Mike Jaber, Robin Smallwood, Stephen Courtney
Visitors: Thanks to all our hard working volunteers. Hugh, Ian, Jaron, Jeremy, Kit, Liz, Mike, Robin, Daniel, Stephen and David.
It was nice to have a full tower today with lots of visitors, Ruth, Mark, Linda, Ellen, Kerri, Leah, Sherry, Jamie, Amy Michael, Libby, and Samm. All very keen to see the birds on the Marsh and to hear about the Hawk Watch.
Weather: The day started with an east wind and shifted mid day to south-east. The clouds slowly creeped in over the course of the day. Visibility was near perfect for the whole day. Comfortable temperature throughout day, rising to 22c
Raptor Observations: Today the top birds were the Turkey Vultures (754), Sharp Shinned Hawks (66) and a good number of Northern Harrier (23) including a nice male 'gray ghost'. Disappointingly we haven't seen any Red shouldered Hawks today.
Non-raptor Observations: We had a late Black and White Warbler. Ducks are starting to show up in a greater variety. American Coots and Ring Necked Ducks showed up big today. Blue Jays are still streaming through in large numbers. Find the full list here: https://ebird.org/checklist/S401057590
Predictions: Tomorrow looks to be a wet one, periods of rain through out the day with the same south east winds we saw today. Hawk counts will probably be lower than today, but the same mix is likely. ======================================================================== Report submitted by Paul Gosselin (<paulgosselin25...>) Holiday Beach Hawk Watch information may be found at: http://hbmo.ca/
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Date: 10/10/26 9:34 am From: 'Marilou Capo' via Birders <birders...> Subject: Re: [birders] Dark-Eyed Juncos
No Juncos in Bloomfield Hills yet, but had a Ruby-throated Hummingbird yesterday.
In a message dated 10/10/2026 7:49:43 AM Eastern Daylight Time, <fredkaluza...> writes: have arrived in the Port Huron Area. Anyone else seeing them now?
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Date: 10/10/26 4:49 am From: Fred Kaluza <fredkaluza...> Subject: [birders] Dark-Eyed Juncos
have arrived in the Port Huron Area. Anyone else seeing them now?
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Date: 10/9/26 3:57 pm From: <reports...> Subject: [birders] Detroit River Hawk Watch (09 Oct 2026) 1871 Raptors
Detroit River Hawk Watch
Brownstown, Michigan, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 09, 2026
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Observation start time: 08:00:00
Observation end time: 15:00:00
Total observation time: 7 hours
Official Counter: Gracie Sangmeister
Observers: Andrew Sturgess, Bella Maiwurm, Don Sherwood,
Johannes Postma, Mark Hainen, Rosemary Brady
Visitors:
We welcome visitors to our site at the Lake Erie Metropark Boat Launch. We
are always willing to discuss the events of the day. Let us share our
enthusiasm with you. There will be busy days, that may require our full
attention, but those are not that frequent, and they provide great thrills
for all. We can predict good days to some degree, but the exact hour is up
to the birds, so be prepared to put in some time for the best results. Pack
a lunch.
Weather:
A curious cloud day today with broad cirrus furrows and rows set on a
bright blue background at the start of the day. An amalgamation of various
forms of cirrostratus and cirrocumulus gradually formed a much denser mat
that what we had started with. The ambient light had diminished
considerably. Some of the ceiling was dark as if grey paint had been
spilled on the �ｿｽfloor�ｿｽ. This passed to the east and gradually we began to
see occasional patches of blue again. The wind was inconsistent in speed,
usually in the five to ten mph range but dropping to a baby�ｿｽs breath at one
point. The direction was consistently from the southwest. The barometer was
climbing a little most of the day but it is reaching its high plateau for
today and tomorrow before falling on Sunday, when rain is predicted. The
temperature reached sixty-eight degrees but with the changes in wind and
sun condition it meant some wardrobe adjustments were in order during the
day.
Raptor Observations:
Let�ｿｽs start with the gold. No, not the medal, but the golden eagle that
flew by. Our first of the season. Mark H. had willed this bird to our site
with a combination of mind-melding and positive thinking. He is migrating
to Florida soon and wanted this bird badly. Mission accomplished! The gold
medal went to the turkey vultures, as it will for most of October. They
played hard to get again today, taking the secret route behind the trees
and emerging in our version of �ｿｽthe hell of the north,�ｿｽ an
evaporation-induced haze that makes viewing iffy. We managed to snag
sixteen hundred and eighty-two of the wily birds. The sharp-shins had a
nice day with one hundred and forty-six birds flying into the wind. Our
best day in some time. Kestrels came by in smaller numbers, twenty-one to
be precise. Harriers were not far behind with some fifteen specimens.
Red-tailed hawks managed to send three representatives. The broad-wings are
still coming in a very slow trickle with two birds today. One peregrine
falcon managed to thwart a very spirited chase by a determined herring gull
to make the clicker today.
Non-raptor Observations:
Nearly a hundred pelicans were noted in the morning in an ever-shifting
line dance. The rest of the day was not as bountiful for that species. The
swallows were present in good numbers, mostly over Gibraltar, so their
interference was minimal. Some common fall warblers were noted at the site.
A red-bellied woodpecker has been seen flying over the slip in recent days.
Canada geese are flying by in formations but probably not migrating,
unfortunately. Mute swans are stretching their wings with occasional
fly-bys. They share roosting space with the pelicans by the Celeron Island
jetty. The blue jays were coming by today, but I don�ｿｽt think this is an
exceptional year for them as we haven�ｿｽt been seeing the really big flocks.
Forty-three hundred and twelve fluttered by on their rounded wings.
Monarchs are still filtering through, seventeen were counted today.
Predictions:
The winds should switch tomorrow, southeast instead of southwest. We will
see if that helps our cause. They are predicted to hang around the five mph
level. Temperatures are expected to reach seventy-two degees. The barometer
will remain well above thirty inches in the high pressure zone but the
skies are predicted to be mostly cloudy. They appear to be that way for
most of the coming week with some chance of light rain during that time.
Sunday morning looks suspect at this time. Tomorrow will probably resemble
today in most respects, the southeast winds may not be as punishing as the
southwest has been to us, but we are on the naughty list of the wind gods
this year, so expect the worst:)
========================================================================
Report submitted by Andrew Sturgess (<ajyes72...>)
Detroit River Hawk Watch information may be found at:
http://www.detroitriverhawkwatch.org
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Observation start time: 07:00:00 Observation end time: 15:00:00 Total observation time: 8 hours
Official Counter: Michael Burton-Smith
Observers: Cameron Chevalier, Hugh Kent, Juliette Herdman, Liz Kent, Mike Jaber, Noel Herdman, Paul Gosselin, Robin Smallwood
Visitors: Thanks to Hugh, Noel, Mike, Juliette, Liz, Robin and Paul for assisting with today's count. It was great to be joined by Fred, Chris, Nancy, Linda, Joey, Cameron and his family, Shelley and Pille, with the pelicans and a late male Ruby-throated Hummer proving to be the fan favourites!
Weather: Mild south-westerlies through the day, with increasing cloud cover into the mid-afternoon.
Raptor Observations: When Noel and Julie arrived this morning, I confidently asserted that the first Turkey Vulture would arrive at 10 o'clock local time - you can set your watch by it! Determined to prove me wrong, the first stubborn TV popped over the treetops two minutes early at 9.58am.
It ended up being another busy morning for Turkey Vulture, with 2153 passingnorth of the marsh between 1000 and 1100 EST, with some flocks exceeding 600 individuals. Things quietened down dramatically in the afternoon, although we did enjoy a late flurry of Red-tailed Hawks in the last hour.
It was a live-action remake of Bambi in the first hour, with White-tailed Deer, Red Fox, Cottontails and Eastern Gray Squirrels playing in the crisp morning air. The foxes, pottering about the hunt club, were particularly adorable. The birds went more or less to script, with another influx of ducks overnight including the first Ruddies of the season. Bird of the day goes to the chubby Eastern Meadowlarks flying at tower height in the early morning, our first seen this season (though one was heard last month).
Predictions: Tonight's clear skies may facilitate another movement in waterfowl, so it will be interesting to see who is on the marsh over the weekend. With fairly similar conditions to today, we will hopefully see another late morning push for Turkey Vultures before the cloud cover increases in the afternoon. ======================================================================== Report submitted by Michael Burton-Smith () Holiday Beach Hawk Watch information may be found at: http://hbmo.ca/
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Date: 10/8/26 3:18 pm From: <reports...> Subject: [birders] Detroit River Hawk Watch (08 Oct 2026) 3101 Raptors
Detroit River Hawk Watch
Brownstown, Michigan, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 08, 2026
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Observation start time: 08:00:00
Observation end time: 16:00:00
Total observation time: 7.75 hours
Official Counter: Bella Maiwurm
Observers: Andrew Sturgess, Bill Peregord, Don Sherwood, Mark Hainen,
Michelle Peregord, Rebekah Graham
Visitors:
We welcome visitors to our site at the Lake Erie Metropark Boat Launch. We
are always willing to discuss the events of the day. Let us share our
enthusiasm with you. There will be busy days, that may require our full
attention, but those are not that frequent, and they provide great thrills
for all. We can predict good days to some degree, but the exact hour is up
to the birds, so be prepared to put in some time for the best results. Pack
a lunch 😎
Weather:
�I can�t change the direction of the wind, but I can adjust my sails to
always reach my destination.� Mr. Jimmy Dean, of sausage fame, gave us that
quote and it applied to the turkey vultures today. Adverse winds from
generally a westerly direction got road rage and sped things up
considerably from seven mph at the start of the watch to fourteen mph at
the end. It was interesting to see the difference in flight lines that
occurred during the day, although our apprentices, Bella and Rebekah, doing
yeoman�s work, might use different adjectives, as the birds were not easy
to track at times. The wind was mostly at our back, so the seventy-degree
temperature and plenty of sun, made for another pleasant fall day on the
surface. The barometer rising quickly was the reason for the winds as high
pressure ushered out yesterday�s one- day low. Clouds were a mix today of
cirrus, spreading airplane contrails, with small cumulus clouds starting to
fill in the final hours of the watch.
Raptor Observations:
Turkey vultures were the object of our desire today. At first, playing coy,
they stayed below the tree line, not giving us much to work with. Later, as
the wind rose, they adopted a different strategy, flying higher but with
lines that would tack into the wind in assorted inconsistent directions. We
ended the day with two thousand, nine hundred and fifty-nine, ninety-five
percent of our total. Sharp-shins were getting the Cedar Point rides today
in the winds that buffeted them mercilessly. Eighty-seven of them managed
to survive. The kestrels also had a bumpy flight with twenty-eight making
it though. Harriers were not far behind with twenty-one making flights that
included many detours. Two bald eagles were counted, along with one osprey
and one merlin.
Non-raptor Observations:
The pelicans made cameo appearances today, small in number and mostly out
over the lake. Our resident terns, Forster�s and Caspian, also were back in
the slip. A number of warblers, mostly butter-butts were seen nearby. A
brown creeper was also reported. The cormorants have not been seen in the
large gatherings on the lake for a few days, but the winds might have
altered their plans. Gull kettles have not been an issue for us the last
few days. Swallows are still plentiful, but are seen in the distance over
Celeron or Gibraltar. Blue jays were on the move today with seven thousand,
five hundred and fifty-nine. Seven monarch butterflies were also noted.
Predictions:
The winds should ease tomorrow, although the west-southwest direction is
not usually bountiful. The range should be from five to seven mph. Mostly
sunny skies should prevail with a temperature similar to today. The
barometer will continue to climb during the day. Turkey vultures should
continue to move, it�s October after all, and hopefully, we will be able to
see them.
========================================================================
Report submitted by Andrew Sturgess (<ajyes72...>)
Detroit River Hawk Watch information may be found at:
http://www.detroitriverhawkwatch.org
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Observation start time: 07:00:00 Observation end time: 15:00:00 Total observation time: 8 hours
Official Counter: Michael Burton-Smith
Observers: Hugh Kent, Noel Herdman, Peter Veighey
Visitors: If the Turkey Vultures were the day's headline act, Peter's work on the Blue Jay clicker would certainly be a close runner up. Elegantly perched on his foldout chair, Peter clicked 15,760 Blue Jays over five hours, while simultaneously supplying muffins and taking a brilliant shot of the Orange-crowned Warbler.
It was also great to be assisted by Hugh and Noel for the day's count, and to be joined by Fran and Brian, Carl and Cathy, Cecile and Donald, Pille, Don and David, and our fluffy mascot Abby (who is forgiven for stealing the muffin from my backpack).
Weather: Mild westerlies throughout the day, occasionally with a slight northerly component. Clear skies with minimal cloud cover, temperatures rising to the mid-twenties.
Raptor Observations: It is TV time at the hawk tower, with Turkey Vultures absolutely pumping through. Today is the seventeenth highest count for Turkey Vultures in HBMO history, and the third highest total within the first ten days of October. The late morning is the best period to see them in action, as they're just waking up and using the thermals to climb high above their treetop roosts. Thanks to today's seven thousand vultures, we have surpassed 2022 to become the fourth best overall season for the Holiday Beach hawk watch.
It was also a great count for Sharp-shinned Hawks and American Kestrel, both giving great flybys low over the tower. In the late afternoon, there was an impressive passage of fourteen Bald Eagle loosely associating with the Turkey Vulture.
Duck diversity continues to increase on the marsh, with more Ring-necks arriving overnight as well as a small party of Redhead. Excitingly we also had our first Bufflehead of the season, streaming low over the lake to the east, and our first Lesser Black-backed Gulls. It was otherwise fairly quiet, with the only major excitements being another Orange-crowned Warbler, a Great Blue Heron flying by with a gar pike in its mouth, and a slithery Northern Watersnake.
Predictions: With low winds and clear skies forecast, we may see some overnight migration in waterfowl and passerines and it will be interesting to see who is around the tower in the morning. The gentle southerly through the day will likely push most migrating raptors away from us, but we will hopefully see another passage of Turkey Vultures to the north in the late morning. ======================================================================== Report submitted by Michael Burton-Smith () Holiday Beach Hawk Watch information may be found at: http://hbmo.ca/
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Date: 10/8/26 10:36 am From: Ann Alvarez <annra.new...> Subject: Re: [birders] Fwd: Announcing The Bird Guide: North America
Thanks for the heads up, April! This actually looks terrific. I hope the
print won't be too small to read; looks as if they are cramming a lot into
it!
On Thu, Oct 8, 2026 at 12:27 PM 'April Campbell' via Birders <
<birders...> wrote:
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Date: 10/8/26 5:02 am From: Scott Manly <manlyrs...> Subject: Re: [birders] Very high migraters
I can't vouch for Michigan, but I twice saw flocks of pelicans this Spring in NW Wisconsin. One flock was around 50 strong, the other around 100. Had opportunity to carefully approach one of the flocks in a friend's boat and get some sweet photos.
I do not know if this link is permitted, but here is my Flickr site where I posted some of the photos.
I may be too far Michigan to be relevant to the discussion, but I personally was surprised to see them down here. I used to see them all the time in the 11 years I lived in Saskatchewan.
________________________________
From: Fred Kaluza <fredkaluza...>
Sent: Wednesday, October 7, 2026 5:50 AM
To: madxofaa <madxofaa...>; Dody Wyman <dody...>
Cc: Birders <birders...>
Subject: Re: [birders] Very high migraters
I know they’ve been seen in years past on the St. Clair River as well as other places in S.E. Michigan but…has anyone come across any White Pelicans this year.
________________________________
From: madxofaa <madxofaa...>
Sent: Tuesday, 06 October 2026 16:06:03
To: Dody Wyman <dody...>
Cc: Fred Kaluza <fredkaluza...>; Birders <birders...>
Subject: Re: [birders] Very high migraters
Tundra Swans?
________________________________
From: Dody Wyman <dody...><mailto:<dody...>> Sent: Sunday, 04 October 2026 18:25:20
To: Birders <birders...><mailto:<birders...>> Subject: [birders] Very high migraters
Hi everyone,
This is a long shot inquiry…..
My daughter was canoeing today and saw a group of about 20 birds “way up there”- very high flying in formation. She said they were white with dark wing tips and is wondering what they might have been. She looked in the birding books and her best guess was white pelicans…
Any thoughts?
Thanks!
Dody
Manchester
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Date: 10/7/26 6:17 pm From: <reports...> Subject: [birders] Detroit River Hawk Watch (07 Oct 2026) 1106 Raptors
Detroit River Hawk Watch
Brownstown, Michigan, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 07, 2026
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Observation start time: 08:00:00
Observation end time: 15:00:00
Total observation time: 7 hours
Official Counter: Bella Maiwurm
Observers: Rebekah Graham
Visitors:
We welcome visitors to our site at the Lake Erie Metropark Boat Launch. We
are always willing to discuss the events of the day. Let us share our
enthusiasm with you. There will be busy days, that may require our full
attention, but those are not that frequent, and they provide great thrills
for all. We can predict good days to some degree, but the exact hour is up
to the birds, so be prepared to put in some time for the best results. Pack
a lunch 😎
Weather:
Today�s team of two approached the day with bated breath, since their last
joint venture was met with a pile driver and a birdless sky (October 1st,
for any curious readers). The day proved more fruitful than expected of
southwest winds. Mostly clear skies, winds peaking at thirteen mph, and
humidity down in the low fifties provided comfortable counting conditions.
While the barometer was a bit low, peaking at twenty-nine point eight
three, birds continued to make their way south, some taking their time more
than others.
Raptor Observations:
The day started on the calmer side with sixty-six raptors in the first hour
and increasing to five hundred and twenty-four in the third. Unfortunately,
this was the high number of the day, with totals decreasing each hour that
followed. It truly is turkey vulture season for we witnessed one thousand
and sixty-six slowly migrating in their unflappable way. A total of
thirty-two sharp-shins were on the move today as well, the first of the day
flying so low against southerly winds it seemed nearly to touch the water.
Kestrels were few in number, amounting to four. Harriers, Red-tails,
Peregrines, and an unknown tied for last, only one of each making a
migratory appearance. A second Peregrine was observed high in the sky and
made a run at some poor gull before choosing a steady line due north.
Non-raptor Observations:
Some of our usual companions were missing today, notably our log-rolling
egret and both Caspian and Forster�s terns. The jetty was a popular place,
with a myriad of double-crested cormorants, mallards, Canada geese, and
mute swans. Thirty-one pelicans made midday appearances, wheeling their way
south. Ring-billed gulls littered the sky, covering space from the horizon
line up to the highest clouds, leaving our counters to sort between Larus
and Cathartes shapes. Passerines were made up of chickadees, both white-
and red-breasted nuthatches, cardinals, and Carolina wrens. A woodpecker
hat trick (downy, red-bellied, and flicker) chatted frequently throughout
the day. Yellow-rumps made up the majority of warblers heard and seen this
morning, with one sneaky palm mixing in. One thousand four hundred and four
blue jays proceeded south. One late monarch made their way as well.
Predictions:
Tomorrow�s winds will be mainly be from the west northwest, increasing from
seven to fourteen mph throughout the count hours. The barometer will rise
to a high of thirty point zero from 11am to 1pm, and stay at twenty-nine
point ninety nine before and after. The day looks mostly sunny with a high
of sixty-seven degrees Fahrenheit. Though the barometer will stay on the
lower side and the winds will be less than favorable for this particular
site, it�s hard to predict what birds will move tomorrow given today�s luck
with the weather that we had.
========================================================================
Report submitted by Jerry Jourdan (<jerry.jourdan...>)
Detroit River Hawk Watch information may be found at:
http://www.detroitriverhawkwatch.org
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JacksonAudubon Society - Haehnle Sanctuary Crane Count 10/05/2026 by Don Henise
You can view past postings and historical crane countingdata on
Haehnle web site
JASBlog page
And on the JAS or Haehnle FB pages
Regards,Steve Jerant
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Observation start time: 07:00:00 Observation end time: 15:00:00 Total observation time: 8 hours
Official Counter: Michael Burton-Smith
Observers: Bob Hall-Brooks, David Wharton, Hugh Kent, Liz Kent, Peter Veighey, Stephen Courtney
Visitors: Thanks to Hugh, Liz, Steve, David, Bob, Mel and Peter for helping conduct the day's count. It was lovely to be joined by Lou and Toni, Emily and her joyous third graders (a special mention to the girl who said albatross was her favourite bird!), Pille, Don, David, and Kobe. The best animal encounter of the day was definitely the lovely pup Abby, who enthusiastically received many pats from the volunteers.
Weather: A bitter southerly coming off the lake this morning, gusting in the mid-twenties. By lunchtime, however, the wind had almost completely disappeared and we ended the day under beautiful sunshine with temperatures in the upper twenties.
Raptor Observations: It was a day dominated by one bird - the Turkey Vulture. While other species dribbled by at a snail's pace, the Turkey Vultures pumped through all day long. Between 1000 and 1100 EST, over 1500 individuals passed in a single hour. Unfortunately most were just small dots on the northern horizon, but it was still great to see so many birds on the move.
Florence + The Machine wrote in 2009 that the dog days were over, but at Holiday Beach the duck days certainly are not! Ring-billed Duck were the most abundant (112), but we also had our first Common Merganser (21) in the early morning, and nice flybys of most species through the day.
Other waterbirds included an overhead Common Loon, a nice grouping of 92 American Coot, and five of our gallinule chicks. Otherwise fairly quiet, with a few of the smaller passerines having left overnight.
Predictions: The slight northern component to tomorrow's westerly winds could help push the Turkey Vultures closer to the tower, with clear skies hopefully setting up plenty of thermals for them. Otherwise fairly similar conditions to today, so we should see a few pelicans on the marsh in the morning and a couple of straggling warblers. ======================================================================== Report submitted by Michael Burton-Smith () Holiday Beach Hawk Watch information may be found at: http://hbmo.ca/
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Date: 10/7/26 4:50 am From: Fred Kaluza <fredkaluza...> Subject: Re: [birders] Very high migraters
I know they’ve been seen in years past on the St. Clair River as well as other places in S.E. Michigan but…has anyone come across any White Pelicans this year.
________________________________
From: madxofaa <madxofaa...>
Sent: Tuesday, 06 October 2026 16:06:03
To: Dody Wyman <dody...>
Cc: Fred Kaluza <fredkaluza...>; Birders <birders...>
Subject: Re: [birders] Very high migraters
Tundra Swans?
________________________________
From: Dody Wyman <dody...><mailto:<dody...>> Sent: Sunday, 04 October 2026 18:25:20
To: Birders <birders...><mailto:<birders...>> Subject: [birders] Very high migraters
Hi everyone,
This is a long shot inquiry…..
My daughter was canoeing today and saw a group of about 20 birds “way up there”- very high flying in formation. She said they were white with dark wing tips and is wondering what they might have been. She looked in the birding books and her best guess was white pelicans…
Any thoughts?
Thanks!
Dody
Manchester
--
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Date: 10/7/26 4:42 am From: Fred Kaluza <fredkaluza...> Subject: Re: [birders] Very high migraters
Well yeah…there’s that but…I was thinking they may have attempted a mass landing at one of Canadian waste-water ponds and just dipped their wingtips. Or…perhaps gusting winds aloft caused the whole flock to go sideways for a few seconds making the observer perceive the heads and tails as wingtips or…maybe I should just turn this phone off for a while.
________________________________
From: Allen Chartier <amazilia3...>
Sent: Tuesday, 06 October 2026 16:33:32
To: Dody Wyman <dody...>
Cc: Fred Kaluza <fredkaluza...>; Birders <birders...>
Subject: Re: [birders] Very high migraters
Tundra Swans?
________________________________
From: Dody Wyman <dody...><mailto:<dody...>> Sent: Sunday, 04 October 2026 18:25:20
To: Birders <birders...><mailto:<birders...>> Subject: [birders] Very high migraters
Hi everyone,
This is a long shot inquiry…..
My daughter was canoeing today and saw a group of about 20 birds “way up there”- very high flying in formation. She said they were white with dark wing tips and is wondering what they might have been. She looked in the birding books and her best guess was white pelicans…
Any thoughts?
Thanks!
Dody
Manchester
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Date: 10/6/26 7:35 pm From: Fred Kaluza <fredkaluza...> Subject: Re: [birders] Very high migraters
I’ve seen groups of Snow Geese and Tundra Swans flying south over Warren, Michigan at this time of year before. It was unusually quiet on those days and I believe my eyes were drawn upward because of the calls they were making in flight.
________________________________
From: Mary Wise <auntyem...>
Sent: Sunday, 04 October 2026 21:06:23
To: Dody Wyman <dody...>
Cc: Birders <birders...>
Subject: Re: [birders] Very high migraters
Where was she canoeing? White pelicans are probably the best answer, especially if she was close to Lake Erie in SE MI, but snow geese might be a possibility too. It's probably a bit early for them though.
Thanks,
Mary
On Sun, Oct 4, 2026 at 6:25 PM Dody Wyman <dody...><mailto:<dody...>> wrote:
Hi everyone,
This is a long shot inquiry…..
My daughter was canoeing today and saw a group of about 20 birds “way up there”- very high flying in formation. She said they were white with dark wing tips and is wondering what they might have been. She looked in the birding books and her best guess was white pelicans…
Any thoughts?
Thanks!
Dody
Manchester
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Observation start time: 07:00:00 Observation end time: 15:00:00 Total observation time: 8 hours
Official Counter: Michael Burton-Smith
Observers: Hugh Kent, Juliette Herdman, Liz Kent, Mike Jaber, Noel Herdman, Robin Smallwood, Wade Carlton
Visitors: Thanks to Wade, Mike, Noel, Hugh, Liz, Robin and Juliette for helping conduct today's count. It was also great to be joined by Tony and Lou, Pilla, Steve and David, Susan and John, and Emily and her sixth-graders!
Weather: Clear skies with a gentle southerly breeze through the day. Quite brisk in the early morning (especially after Wade stole my hoodie), but warmed into the mid-twenties in the afternoon.
Raptor Observations: Another healthy day for Turkey Vulture, although the southerly component to the wind meant that most were little more than specks to the north. Otherwise a very quiet day, although a few close immature harriers and a pot-bellied Merlin kept us entertained.
Not your normal October day! We had a surprisingly busy crowd of small birds, including eight species of warbler, fourteen White-throated Sparrow, and a healthy number of Ruby-throated Hummingbird. Whoever wrote in the report last night that we need to keep eyes open for Orange-crowned Warblers must be psychic, with one appearing just after lunch. We also had our first Blue-headed Vireo for the season, and another flyover American Golden Plover. The thinning lilies are making viewing across the marsh easier, with a great diversity of ducks and five of our teenage gallinules showing well.
Predictions: With clear skies overnight we may see another turnover in warblers, kinglets and sparrows, and it will be interesting to see who is around in the morning. Raptor-wise it should be fairly similar to today, with Turkey Vultures continuing to pass in good numbers at a distance. ======================================================================== Report submitted by Michael Burton-Smith () Holiday Beach Hawk Watch information may be found at: http://hbmo.ca/
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Date: 10/6/26 2:47 pm From: <reports...> Subject: [birders] Detroit River Hawk Watch (06 Oct 2026) 1667 Raptors
Detroit River Hawk Watch
Brownstown, Michigan, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 06, 2026
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Observation start time: 08:00:00
Observation end time: 15:00:00
Total observation time: 7 hours
Official Counter: Gracie Sangmeister
Observers: Andrew Sturgess, Bella Maiwurm, Bill Peregord, Don Sherwood,
Mark Hainen, Michelle Peregord, Rebekah Graham
Visitors:
We welcome visitors to our site at the Lake Erie Metropark Boat Launch. We
are always willing to discuss the events of the day. Let us share our
enthusiasm with you. There will be busy days, that may require our full
attention, but those are not that frequent, and they provide great thrills
for all. We can predict good days to some degree, but the exact hour is up
to the birds, so be prepared to put in some time for the best results. Pack
a lunch😊
Weather:
Today�s lesson was about diminishing returns. The wind at the start of the
watch was zero, it gradually grew to nine mph, at its peak, from the
dreaded southwest. Our hourly count totals diminished as the wind picked
up. We made a little rebound in the last hour, but only by strip mining TVs
on the edge of visibility in the haze to the north. The temperature
exceeded expectations by three degrees, reaching sixty-eight-degrees. The
skies were never really crowded with clouds, a nice display of cirrocumulus
clouds in the morning hours moved along leaving only sparse remnants of
clouds to contrast with the blue sky. It was a nice summer-like day for
October, which has yet to show its teeth. The barometer was headed down at
a sharp angle on the graph, dropping two tenths over the course of the
watch. This will continue tomorrow with another three tenths of pressure
drop.
Raptor Observations:
This is October, so those must be turkey vultures. Thankfully, the birds
are distinctive, even in the hazy soup that was today�s distant sky.
Fifteen hundred and fifty-three passed by when they finally made up their
minds to move, after some back and forth in some cases. A distant second
was the sharpie contingent with seventy-four members. It was a tight battle
between the harriers and kestrels for the bronze. Harriers took it with
eighteen, besting the kestrels by one, who came very close with seventeen.
With two merlin and one peregrine falcon, the falcon hat-trick was achieved
again. One red-tailed hawk and a lonely broad-winged hawk made up the final
members of today�s count.
Non-raptor Observations:
A quiet day for the pelicans, perhaps some kind of holiday for them, as
only a few were seen today. The southern winds maybe affecting them as
well. Forster�s terns and Caspian terns are still attacking the fish with
total abandon; CTE apparently not a concern for them. The gulls were not an
issue today; the swarms of flying ants must have passed their peak. The
cormorants were not seen en masse on the lake today, but the wind had
whipped up white caps that grew as the day progressed so the waters were
choppy. We are starting to see lines of unidentified ducks in the distance.
Only six-hundred and twenty blue jays were noted today. The winds must have
pushed the monarchs to the north too, none were observed.
Predictions:
The falling barometer is of concern tomorrow, a one-day low will visit,
packing high southwest winds. The pressure is predicted to be twenty-nine
point seventy-three, a significant drop from the thirty point twenty-four
at the start of the day today. Both the southwest winds and the pressure
drop are bad omens. The winds should peak in double digits at thirteen mph.
There should be some increase in cloud cover but there will be sun as well.
The temperature should be seventy-seven degrees as the southwest winds
bring the heat. It will be difficult to see what birds may be traveling as
they will be pushed to the north in a hazy sky.
========================================================================
Report submitted by Andrew Sturgess (<ajyes72...>)
Detroit River Hawk Watch information may be found at:
http://www.detroitriverhawkwatch.org
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Date: 10/6/26 2:03 pm From: Fred Ciske <fciske...> Subject: Re: [birders] Very high migraters
Ring-billed gulls are a common inland species known to fly in formation. I
saw a flock flying very high northward in spring. Black wing tips too.
On Tue, Oct 6, 2026 at 3:48 PM Dody Wyman <dody...> wrote:
> That was my first guess also, but I think we were out-guessed!
>
> On Oct 6, 2026, at 1:10 PM, Fred Kaluza <fredkaluza...> wrote:
>
> Tundra Swans?
> ------------------------------
> *From:* Dody Wyman <dody...>
> *Sent:* Sunday, 04 October 2026 18:25:20
> *To:* Birders <birders...>
> *Subject:* [birders] Very high migraters
>
> Hi everyone,
>
> This is a long shot inquiry…..
>
> My daughter was canoeing today and saw a group of about 20 birds “way up
> there”- very high flying in formation. She said they were white with dark
> wing tips and is wondering what they might have been. She looked in the
> birding books and her best guess was white pelicans…
>
> Any thoughts?
>
> Thanks!
>
> Dody
> Manchester
>
>
> --
> Birders is a service of the Great Lakes Commission. Visit us at
> www.glc.org
>
> Messages and content distributed on Birders are the sole responsibility
> of the subscriber providing such content and
> do not reflect the views, policy or position of the Great Lakes
> Commission.
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> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups
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>
> --
> Birders is a service of the Great Lakes Commission. Visit us at
> www.glc.org
>
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> the subscriber providing such content and
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> Commission.
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>
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On Tue, Oct 6, 2026 at 3:48 PM Dody Wyman <dody...> wrote:
> That was my first guess also, but I think we were out-guessed!
>
> On Oct 6, 2026, at 1:10 PM, Fred Kaluza <fredkaluza...> wrote:
>
> Tundra Swans?
> ------------------------------
> *From:* Dody Wyman <dody...>
> *Sent:* Sunday, 04 October 2026 18:25:20
> *To:* Birders <birders...>
> *Subject:* [birders] Very high migraters
>
> Hi everyone,
>
> This is a long shot inquiry…..
>
> My daughter was canoeing today and saw a group of about 20 birds “way up
> there”- very high flying in formation. She said they were white with dark
> wing tips and is wondering what they might have been. She looked in the
> birding books and her best guess was white pelicans…
>
> Any thoughts?
>
> Thanks!
>
> Dody
> Manchester
>
>
> --
> Birders is a service of the Great Lakes Commission. Visit us at
> www.glc.org
>
> Messages and content distributed on Birders are the sole responsibility
> of the subscriber providing such content and
> do not reflect the views, policy or position of the Great Lakes
> Commission.
> ---
> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups
> "Birders" group.
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> email to birders+<unsubscribe...>
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> https://groups.google.com/a/great-lakes.net/d/msgid/birders/<36B38D44-5E27-4FF8-BA34-98F186A27403...> > .
>
> --
> Birders is a service of the Great Lakes Commission. Visit us at
> www.glc.org
>
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> Commission.
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>
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On Tue, Oct 6, 2026 at 3:48 PM Dody Wyman <dody...> wrote:
> That was my first guess also, but I think we were out-guessed!
>
> On Oct 6, 2026, at 1:10 PM, Fred Kaluza <fredkaluza...> wrote:
>
> Tundra Swans?
> ------------------------------
> *From:* Dody Wyman <dody...>
> *Sent:* Sunday, 04 October 2026 18:25:20
> *To:* Birders <birders...>
> *Subject:* [birders] Very high migraters
>
> Hi everyone,
>
> This is a long shot inquiry…..
>
> My daughter was canoeing today and saw a group of about 20 birds “way up
> there”- very high flying in formation. She said they were white with dark
> wing tips and is wondering what they might have been. She looked in the
> birding books and her best guess was white pelicans…
>
> Any thoughts?
>
> Thanks!
>
> Dody
> Manchester
>
>
> --
> Birders is a service of the Great Lakes Commission. Visit us at
> www.glc.org
>
> Messages and content distributed on Birders are the sole responsibility
> of the subscriber providing such content and
> do not reflect the views, policy or position of the Great Lakes
> Commission.
> ---
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> "Birders" group.
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> https://groups.google.com/a/great-lakes.net/d/msgid/birders/<36B38D44-5E27-4FF8-BA34-98F186A27403...> > .
>
> --
> Birders is a service of the Great Lakes Commission. Visit us at
> www.glc.org
>
> Messages and content distributed on Birders are the sole responsibility of
> the subscriber providing such content and
> do not reflect the views, policy or position of the Great Lakes
> Commission.
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>
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Date: 10/6/26 12:48 pm From: Dody Wyman <dody...> Subject: Re: [birders] Very high migraters
That was my first guess also, but I think we were out-guessed!
On Oct 6, 2026, at 1:10 PM, Fred Kaluza <fredkaluza...> wrote:
Tundra Swans?
From: Dody Wyman <dody...>
Sent: Sunday, 04 October 2026 18:25:20
To: Birders <birders...>
Subject: [birders] Very high migraters
Hi everyone,
This is a long shot inquiry…..
My daughter was canoeing today and saw a group of about 20 birds “way up there”- very high flying in formation. She said they were white with dark wing tips and is wondering what they might have been. She looked in the birding books and her best guess was white pelicans…
Any thoughts?
Thanks!
Dody
Manchester
--
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Date: 10/6/26 10:11 am From: Fred Kaluza <fredkaluza...> Subject: Re: [birders] Very high migraters
Tundra Swans?
________________________________
From: Dody Wyman <dody...>
Sent: Sunday, 04 October 2026 18:25:20
To: Birders <birders...>
Subject: [birders] Very high migraters
Hi everyone,
This is a long shot inquiry…..
My daughter was canoeing today and saw a group of about 20 birds “way up there”- very high flying in formation. She said they were white with dark wing tips and is wondering what they might have been. She looked in the birding books and her best guess was white pelicans…
Any thoughts?
Thanks!
Dody
Manchester
--
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Messages and content distributed on Birders are the sole responsibility of the subscriber providing such content and
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Date: 10/5/26 4:04 pm From: <reports...> Subject: [birders] Detroit River Hawk Watch (05 Oct 2026) 3058 Raptors
Detroit River Hawk Watch Brownstown, Michigan, USA Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 05, 2026 -------------------------------------------------------------------
Observation start time: 08:00:00 Observation end time: 17:00:00 Total observation time: 9 hours
Official Counter: Gracie Sangmeister
Observers: Andrew Sturgess, Johannes Postma, Mark Hainen, Rebekah Graham , Rosemary Brady
Visitors: We welcome visitors to our site at the Lake Erie Metropark Boat Launch. We are always willing to discuss the events of the day. Let us share our enthusiasm with you. There will be busy days, that may require our full attention, but those are not that frequent, and they provide great thrills for all. We can predict good days to some degree, but the exact hour is up to the birds, so be prepared to put in some time for the best results. Pack a lunch 🍁
Weather: Bright sunny skies with very little clouds to be seen, temps ranging from the low 50s to mid 60s but still feeling pretty chilly in the shade, and NNW/WNW wind in the 13-18mph range the morning hours, then dropping to the 8-12 mph range in the afternoon.
Raptor Observations: The TVs just kept coming and coming! The last three hours of the count kept being our "biggest count hour yet," until we eventually the birds disappeared from the sky and our stomachs dictated it was time for dinner. Turkey vultures took the line of incredibly distant over Canada, and slowly meandering their way towards us. A few more broad-wings made their way over, as well as sharpies, kestrels, red-tails, and a few harriers. By and large, the vultures took the cake in terms of numbers. Not high in diversity of species, but this was one of the biggest count days we have had in a long while.
Non-raptor Observations: The day's bright skies graced us with several distant lines of pelicans, wheeling beautifully behind kettles of vultures. A lone great blue heron was seen flying solo and surprisingly high for such a large wetland bird. The usual mallards, gulls, and swallows flew about and confused watchers. The cormorant tree was crowded until an immature bald eagle decided to take up a brief residency in its dead branches. One thousand and twenty-five blue jays crossed over to the south, and four monarchs drifted by.
Predictions: Tomorrow looks clear with winds increasing from 2 mph to 9 mph and shifting from west to south southwest and finally just south by the end of the day. The barometer will fall from a high of 30.21" at the start of the count, but remain above 30". All that being said, winds will be against us, but the barometer will be for us, meaning that tomorrow will likely be a slower one for migrating raptors compared to today, but one never knows. ======================================================================== Report submitted by Erika Van Kirk (<erika_vankirk...>) Detroit River Hawk Watch information may be found at: http://www.detroitriverhawkwatch.org
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Observation start time: 07:00:00 Observation end time: 15:00:00 Total observation time: 8 hours
Official Counter: Michael Burton-Smith
Observers: Bob Hall-Brooks, Chuck Sharbaugh, Hugh Kent, Juliette Herdman, Karen Padbury, Liz Kent, Noel Herdman, Robin Smallwood
Visitors: Thanks to Hugh, Liz, Noel, Juliette, Robin, Mike, Chuck, Bob and Karen for helping conduct the day's count. We had a lovely array of visitors lending their eyes and good company, including Fran and Brian, Maria, Tim and Sue, Mary and Pille, as well as Emily and her wonderful Grade 11 and 12 students from St Josephs.
Weather: Very clear skies throughout the day, with light to moderate winds from the north-west.
Raptor Observations: By far the busiest day for Turkey Vultures so far this season, with over one-and-a-half thousand individuals passing through across the day! This is almost double our next highest count, so they are now well and truly on the move. The majority of them passed in the afternoon after the day had warmed up, streaming high overhead.
We also enjoyed moderate movements of Sharp-shinned Hawk, American Kestrel and Northern Harrier, including two beautiful "gray ghosts."
Early October is a great time for making you appreciate the busyness of early September, with remarkably few small birds around the tower. Standouts included two very cute Indigo Bunting, a particularly rambunctious Purple Finch, a buzzy Pine Siskin, and a pugnacious Red-winged Blackbird who helped himself to spiders in our weather station. Red-winged Blackbird (410), European Starling (640) and American Goldfinch (398) were all on their way south, along with a spectacular showing of 259 Chimney Swift in the morning.
Predictions: Clear skies overnight coupled with gentle winds may bring in a few new birds around the tower, with eyes and ears open for our first Orange-crowned Warblers and hopefully a few new sparrows in the coming week. During the day, clear skies will create nice thermals for the Turkey Vultures to ride, but the southerly winds will likely push them further away from the tower as the day progresses. ======================================================================== Report submitted by Michael Burton-Smith () Holiday Beach Hawk Watch information may be found at: http://hbmo.ca/
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Date: 10/4/26 7:42 pm From: Scott Manly <manlyrs...> Subject: Re: [birders] Very high migraters
My first thought was pelicans.
Scott Manly
Frederic, WI
Sent from my Verizon, Samsung Galaxy smartphone
Get Outlook for Android<https://aka.ms/AAb9ysg> ________________________________
From: Dody Wyman <dody...>
Sent: Sunday, 04 October 2026 21:10:40
To: Mary Wise <auntyem...>
Cc: Birders <birders...>
Subject: Re: [birders] Very high migraters
She usually canoes on Pickerel Lake near Pinckney. She said she just happened to look up at the right time, so they could have been seen from quite a long ways away…
Dody
On Oct 4, 2026, at 9:06 PM, Mary Wise <auntyem...> wrote:
Where was she canoeing? White pelicans are probably the best answer, especially if she was close to Lake Erie in SE MI, but snow geese might be a possibility too. It's probably a bit early for them though.
Thanks,
Mary
On Sun, Oct 4, 2026 at 6:25 PM Dody Wyman <dody...><mailto:<dody...>> wrote:
Hi everyone,
This is a long shot inquiry…..
My daughter was canoeing today and saw a group of about 20 birds “way up there”- very high flying in formation. She said they were white with dark wing tips and is wondering what they might have been. She looked in the birding books and her best guess was white pelicans…
Any thoughts?
Thanks!
Dody
Manchester
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Date: 10/4/26 6:06 pm From: Mary Wise <auntyem...> Subject: Re: [birders] Very high migraters
Where was she canoeing? White pelicans are probably the best answer,
especially if she was close to Lake Erie in SE MI, but snow geese might be
a possibility too. It's probably a bit early for them though.
Thanks,
Mary
On Sun, Oct 4, 2026 at 6:25 PM Dody Wyman <dody...> wrote:
> Hi everyone,
>
> This is a long shot inquiry…..
>
> My daughter was canoeing today and saw a group of about 20 birds “way up
> there”- very high flying in formation. She said they were white with dark
> wing tips and is wondering what they might have been. She looked in the
> birding books and her best guess was white pelicans…
>
> Any thoughts?
>
> Thanks!
>
> Dody
> Manchester
>
>
> --
> Birders is a service of the Great Lakes Commission. Visit us at
> www.glc.org
>
> Messages and content distributed on Birders are the sole responsibility
> of the subscriber providing such content and
> do not reflect the views, policy or position of the Great Lakes
> Commission.
> ---
> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups
> "Birders" group.
> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an
> email to birders+<unsubscribe...>
> To view this discussion visit
> https://groups.google.com/a/great-lakes.net/d/msgid/birders/<36B38D44-5E27-4FF8-BA34-98F186A27403...> > .
>
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Date: 10/4/26 3:41 pm From: Jack Smiley <jackrsmiley...> Subject: Re: [birders] Very high migraters
I was going to suggest White Pelicans, too.
Jack Smiley
On Sun, Oct 4, 2026 at 6:25 PM Dody Wyman <dody...> wrote:
> Hi everyone,
>
> This is a long shot inquiry…..
>
> My daughter was canoeing today and saw a group of about 20 birds “way up
> there”- very high flying in formation. She said they were white with dark
> wing tips and is wondering what they might have been. She looked in the
> birding books and her best guess was white pelicans…
>
> Any thoughts?
>
> Thanks!
>
> Dody
> Manchester
>
>
> --
> Birders is a service of the Great Lakes Commission. Visit us at
> www.glc.org
>
> Messages and content distributed on Birders are the sole responsibility
> of the subscriber providing such content and
> do not reflect the views, policy or position of the Great Lakes
> Commission.
> ---
> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups
> "Birders" group.
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> email to birders+<unsubscribe...>
> To view this discussion visit
> https://groups.google.com/a/great-lakes.net/d/msgid/birders/<36B38D44-5E27-4FF8-BA34-98F186A27403...> > .
>
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Date: 10/4/26 3:25 pm From: Dody Wyman <dody...> Subject: [birders] Very high migraters
Hi everyone,
This is a long shot inquiry…..
My daughter was canoeing today and saw a group of about 20 birds “way up there”- very high flying in formation. She said they were white with dark wing tips and is wondering what they might have been. She looked in the birding books and her best guess was white pelicans…
Any thoughts?
Thanks!
Dody
Manchester
--
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Date: 10/4/26 3:02 pm From: <reports...> Subject: [birders] Detroit River Hawk Watch (04 Oct 2026) 389 Raptors
Detroit River Hawk Watch
Brownstown, Michigan, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 04, 2026
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Observation start time: 08:00:00
Observation end time: 15:00:00
Total observation time: 7 hours
Official Counter: Gracie Sangmeister
Observers: Andrew Sturgess, Bill Peregord, Don Sherwood,
Erika Van Kirk, Johannes Postma, Mark Hainen,
Michelle Peregord, Rebekah Graham, Rosemary Brady
Visitors:
We welcome visitors to our site at the Lake Erie Metropark Boat Launch. We
are always willing to discuss the events of the day. Let us share our
enthusiasm with you. There will be busy days, that may require our full
attention, but those are not that frequent, and they provide great thrills
for all. We can predict good days to some degree, but the exact hour is up
to the birds, so be prepared to put in some time for the best results. Pack
a lunch😊
Weather:
We started the day catching the tail end of a system to the north of us
that watered the lawns for a few minutes before passing on. The clouds that
delivered the rain were soon a memory as the sky cleared to a blue dome for
most of the day, some late scattered cumulus clouds adding some contrast.
The winds were the issue today. A steep climb from near zero just before
the watch, to fourteen mph from the southwest at the end, made an offer the
birds could not refuse. The white horses were running on the lake as the
winds pushed both the water and the birds to the north. As the wind grew,
our count declined. The winds aside, it was a pleasant fall day with
seventy-four-degree temperatures and lots of sunshine. The barometer was
falling but still stayed above thirty inches as the dip in pressure
coincided with the increase in the wind.
Raptor Observations:
We expected a dropoff from yesterday�s count with the predicted weather
conditions and so it was. Turkey vultures played hard to get today, hiding
behind the tree line as the skirted our site; they still took the gold with
two hundred and seventy-five. Sharp-shinned hawks did what they could to
break the century mark but just fell short, sending ninety volunteers to
fight the wind. Northern harriers made the podium today with ten of them
meeting some resistance from the wind over the lake and having to
frequently recalculate. American kestrels were not too far behind with
eight birds. One osprey was seen hurrying to the exits along with two bald
eagles. The falcons were busy today with lots of aggressive action as they
took runs at their feathered frenemies. We did score the hat-trick today
with one merlin and one peregrine counted. We saw a peregrine many times
but it was not deemed to be migrating.
Non-raptor Observations:
The gulls outnumbered the raptors today as they feasted on �bugs�. I know
this because I asked one of the naturalists at the park what they were
eating and received that answer. What ever it was, the gulls were
performing aerobatics in pursuit of them, diving and twisting in a manic
way. The sheer number of them made searching for raptors difficult at
times. The cormorants and pelicans made their presence known today. Masses
of cormorants were feeding on the lake, with air cover provided by
ring-billed and herring gulls. Some of the pelicans ate side by side with
the cormorants before taking to the air to practice their wheeling
formations. A red-bellied woodpecker has been flying across the slip the
last few days. Mallards fly by frequently, and more migrating ducks are
being seen in the sky. Two thousand, three hundred and eighteen blue jays
passed by. Twenty-one monarchs made the trek.
Predictions:
Tomorrow has potential. The barometer is rising again, and northwest winds
are predicted. The strength of these winds should be from five to ten mph.
The temperature will drop with winds from the north, reaching sixty-one
degrees, thirteen degrees cooler than today. (Add a layer) The skies should
be clear. This wind should push the birds to the Lake Erie coast line so we
may not be the main recipient should the birds come in numbers, hopefully,
we see enough to keep us busy.
========================================================================
Report submitted by Andrew Sturgess (<ajyes72...>)
Detroit River Hawk Watch information may be found at:
http://www.detroitriverhawkwatch.org
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Observation start time: 07:00:00 Observation end time: 15:00:00 Total observation time: 8 hours
Official Counter: Paul Gosselin
Observers: Corinne Allsop, Daniel Lee, Hugh Kent, Ian Woodfield, Jaron Wilkinson, Kory Renaud, Liz Kent, Matt Brannagan, Mike Jaber, Noel Herdman, Robin Smallwood
Visitors: Big thank you to Noel, Mike, Jaron, Daniel, Corinne, Matt, Hugh, Liz, Kory, Robin and Ian for helping with observing and counting. It was good to see Russ, Mike M, Cheryl, Sheila, Marianne and Ralph again. It was good to meet Carl and Charlie for the first time, hope to see you again. We had many other visitors who were also interested in the Count and the birds on the marsh, especially the Pelicans!
Weather: Bright with comfortable temperature, which rose to 24c by the end of the day. Short rain shower early on. Light wind started in the north and soon turned south. Visibility good with pressure falling slightly throughout day.
Raptor Observations: Turkey vultures (616) were mainly seen to the north and Sharp-shinned Hawks (106) came through sporadically throughout the day. There were a reasonable number of Northern Harriers (21) mostly passing near the Tower. All other raptors were in low numbers.
Non-raptor Observations: Blue Jay numbers (16,000) dropped from yesterday, but the big story of the day was the biggest number so far of American Pelicans (925) who spent the morning fishing on the marsh. Lots of Ring-billed Gulls (88) swirled around the Pelicans hoping for fish scraps. Cedar Waxwings (77) and American Goldfinches (213) were less, but we still had a good variety of warblers with 7 species. Good numbers of Rusty Blackbirds (54) were seen in the morning. There was an upswing of Monarch Butterflies with 48 seen. The list is at https://ebird.org/checklist/S399252028
Predictions: North west winds are forecast for tomorrow, so hopefully the will be more raptors all round. Will the American Pelicans continue to be seen in big numbers? ======================================================================== Report submitted by Paul Gosselin (<paulgosselin25...>) Holiday Beach Hawk Watch information may be found at: http://hbmo.ca/
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Date: 10/4/26 5:59 am From: 'Steve Jerant' via Birders <birders...> Subject: [birders] Haehnle Sanctuary Crane Count 09/28/2026
Haehnle Sanctuary Crane Count 09/28/2026
Total Cranes Roosting: 3
See Don Henise’s JASBlog at:
JacksonAudubon Society - Haehnle Sanctuary Crane Count 09/28/2026 by Don Henise
You can view past postings and historical crane countingdata on
Haehnle web site
JASBlog page
And on the JAS or Haehnle FB pages
Regards,Steve Jerant
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Date: 10/3/26 3:28 pm From: <reports...> Subject: [birders] Detroit River Hawk Watch (03 Oct 2026) 1170 Raptors
Detroit River Hawk Watch Brownstown, Michigan, USA Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 03, 2026 -------------------------------------------------------------------
Observation start time: 08:00:00 Observation end time: 16:00:00 Total observation time: 7.75 hours
Official Counter: Gracie Sangmeister
Observers: Andrew Sturgess, Bella Maiwurm, Bill Peregord, Don Sherwood, Michelle Peregord
Weather: Bright sunny skies, temps in the low 50s in the morning jumping up to mid 60s by the afternoon, and north wind swinging around to ESE towards the end of the day. Absolutely beautiful early fall day, and no signs whatsoever of the pile driver still being active across the channel, fingers crossed they are done for good!
Raptor Observations: The forecast was looking promising for today, and birds did we get. Today was the first four digit bird day we have had since the peak of broad-wings last month, and biggest day of turkey vultures to date. Quiet in the first hour of the count, but then flight stayed steady for most of the day. Kettles of turkey vultures dotted the skyline while sharpies, red-tails, and kestrels streamed through. A few last straggler broad-wings were still making their way south, and the third red-shoulder of the season was seen right at the end of the day, flying high overhead of the picnic tables. Some more peregrine action than we're used to was a nice sight to see as well.
Non-raptor Observations: Our best blue jay flight of the season occurred today with 8,972 flying by, continuing through the entire course of the day. The normal lot was out and about, and the american white pelicans were back in all their glory, flying around and showing off to all the visitors. A common loon flew by in the distance, and the great egret has returned to his log. 24 monarchs were also counted, who need to get a move on if they are going to make it south for the winter!
Predictions: Sunny, high near 70, and calm wind in the morning becoming more west around 5mph in the afternoon. Not looking as promising as today was, but we will see what birds decide to show up. ======================================================================== Report submitted by Erika Van Kirk (<erika_vankirk...>) Detroit River Hawk Watch information may be found at: http://www.detroitriverhawkwatch.org
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Visitors: Big thanks to Noel, Mike, Hugh, Liz, Cindy, Cramer, Jean and Gis for helping with the observing and counting. It was good to see a group from OFO with leader Gis on the tower. It was also good to see returning Bryan and Fran, Steve and David, Neil and Marg, Romesh and Chandra, Eva, Jean, Leanne and Doug. It was good to meet Matthew and Mariela. Everybody showed a great interest in the Hawk Watch and enjoyed their time on the Tower.
Weather: Good north wind up until mid afternoon, then turned easterly. Cloud cover gradually increased. Started cool and ended up a warmer 22c. Pressure relatively high. Visibility very good. A good day for hawk watching.
Raptor Observations: Turkey Vultures (768) are beginning to move, passing mostly high. Sharp-shinned Hawks (156) predictably second. News of the day was a really good total of Peregrine (9) with many of them feeding off the migrating Blue Jays. A few Broad-winged Hawk (14) stragglers appeared in the morning.
Non-raptor Observations: Redhead, Dark-eyed Junco, Eastern Towhee and Field Sparrow are new for the season. Biggest Blue Jay (34,510) movement of the season with the stream going most of the day. American Pelicans delighted the crowd once again with their aerial displays. Good movement of Red-winged Blackbirds (799) early in the morning. A notable flyover of 70 Lesser Scaup together with a Redhead added to the diversity of ducks. The checklist is at https://ebird.org/checklist/S398810814
Predictions: Despite the wind moving to west south west early tomorrow we hope for a continued increase in Turkey Vulture numbers. It is likely that we will have a similar mix of raptors and probably more Blue Jays! ======================================================================== Report submitted by Paul Gosselin (<paulgosselin25...>) Holiday Beach Hawk Watch information may be found at: http://hbmo.ca/
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Observation start time: 07:00:00 Observation end time: 15:00:00 Total observation time: 8 hours
Official Counter: Michael Burton-Smith
Observers: Hugh Kent, Liz Kent, Mike Jaber, Noel Herdman, Paul Pratt, Peter Veighey, Robin Smallwood
Visitors: Thanks to Mike, Hugh, Liz, Noel, Paul and Robin for helping conduct the day's count. A special mention to Peter who counted 25 Blue Jays (and more crucially brought pumpkin spice muffins). It was a busy day for visitors, with Paul's OFO group and Emily's wonderful fourth grade class who were all very excited about the Blue Jays! It was also great to see Neil, Jean, Steve and Donna, who were great company up on the tower.
Weather: Light drizzle in the morning giving way to partially cloudy skies, with temperatures rising to the mid teens. Wind from the north-west, moderate for most of the day.
Raptor Observations: A nice increase on yesterday, with a steady tickle of Sharp-shinned Hawk and American Kestrel. As forecast, we had a few small kettles of Turkey Vultures, mainly coming in the early afternoon.
The little birds took a while to wake up today, but we ended up with a nice collection of passerines including our first Lincoln's Sparrow of the season and eight species of warbler. Waders were on the move overhead with a few flocks of Killdeer, 38 Black-bellied Plover, 13 Lesser Yellowlegs, and 3 Wilson's Snipe - the first for the season.
For the herpers there was a bit of excitement with Common Snapping, Midland Painted and Common Musk Turtles seen from the tower.
Predictions: Tomorrow's north-east winds and clear skies will hopefully see another increase in raptor migration. Over the coming days we need to make the most of our remaining Ruby-throated Hummers and warblers, as it won't be too long till small birds become sparse! ======================================================================== Report submitted by Michael Burton-Smith () Holiday Beach Hawk Watch information may be found at: http://hbmo.ca/
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Date: 10/2/26 2:37 pm From: <reports...> Subject: [birders] Detroit River Hawk Watch (02 Oct 2026) 350 Raptors
Detroit River Hawk Watch
Brownstown, Michigan, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 02, 2026
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Observation start time: 08:00:00
Observation end time: 15:00:00
Total observation time: 7 hours
Official Counter: Gracie Sangmeister
Observers: Andrew Sturgess, Bella Maiwurm, Don Sherwood, Mark Hainen
Visitors:
We welcome visitors to our site at the Lake Erie Metropark Boat Launch. We
are always willing to discuss the events of the day. Let us share our
enthusiasm with you. There will be busy days, that may require our full
attention, but those are not that frequent, and they provide great thrills
for all. We can predict good days to some degree, but the exact hour is up
to the birds, so be prepared to put in some time for the best results. Pack
a lunch😊
Weather:
The Rock of Gibraltar is a cloud generating machine when the Levant winds
blow from the east. With these conditions the west side of the Rock is
perpetually covered in cloudy shadow. There wasn�t much difference in
Gibraltar MI today (I believe the wild monkey population is slightly larger
on the Rock) as we sat under a solid status ceiling while a tantalizing
blue sky stayed just to the northwest of us. Two completely different
skies, and we were under the wrong half. The rain had swept through
overnight, clearing in the early morning pre-watch hours but the residue
persisted. Winds were from the north, switching to the northwest in the
later hours. Speeds did top out at ten mph, a little too rich for us. The
barometer was heading sharply higher, a trend to be continued tomorrow. The
temperature rose to sixty-five degrees.
Raptor Observations:
We did better than the previous two days but the bar was not set too high
for that accomplishment. Turkey vultures led the way with two hundred and
sixty-eight, although with the headwind it seemed that they were flying
through mud with little inclination to head south. The largest kettles we
saw were in the teens. Sharp-shins were flying again today. Seventy brave
souls were tossed about in the vigorous winds. A few broadwings are still
out there trying to stay relevant, they made the podium today with four
travelers. We did score the falcon hat-trick today with three kestrels, and
one apiece of merlins and peregrine falcons. Two red-tailed hawks were
noted today. One Cooper�s hawk was also counted.
Non-raptor Observations:
The pelicans were the stars today. Over five hundred were counted in the
morning hours as they headed up river. Shortly thereafter, they gave us
views of large formations of them flying back. They passed closer than
usual in wave after wave. Seventeen hundred cormorants were counted this
morning as they flew out of the roosting area to the open lake. The
baitfish are getting very nervous. The osprey was seen a few times today.
The pied-billed grebes made need to switch to decaf as they were chasing
each other and actually flying a few times. A yellow-rumped warbler was
observed in the stressed maple tree close by. Caspian and Forster�s terns
are still fattening up in the slip. One thousand, nine hundred and
eighty-five blue jays tried to slip by, staying low to avoid the winds.
Four monarchs were also seen today.
Predictions:
Tomorrow looks to be a litter friendlier to our site. Godot, in the shape
of the sun, will finally arrive. The winds will moderate down to around the
five-mph range. Direction will be northerly, switching to easterly later in
the day. The timing of that switch could affect the flight. The barometer
will continue its climb to 30.35 overnight, but may fall a little from that
lofty peak during the watch. The temperature will hit the
sixty-three-degree mark. Cautious optimism, given that the birds should be
moving after the rain swept through and high pressure is moving in. If the
winds supply the correct push, we should have birds.
========================================================================
Report submitted by Andrew Sturgess (<ajyes72...>)
Detroit River Hawk Watch information may be found at:
http://www.detroitriverhawkwatch.org
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Date: 10/2/26 10:11 am From: Allen Chartier <amazilia3...> Subject: [birders] September bird banding results on Belle Isle
Bird banding results on Belle Isle, Wayne County, Michigan, during September. have been posted to my Bird Banding Blog. Daily details with photo highlights are included. Visit the blog here:
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Date: 10/2/26 8:28 am From: 'Marilou Capo' via Birders <birders...> Subject: Re: [birders] woodpeckers
The Flicker family here in Bloomfield Hills is still with us. In addition to Downy and Red-belly woodpeckers we have Hairy. PUC keeps reporting Pileated, but have actually seen one only once.
Still hoping the Swifts will do us the honor of a sleepover in one of the neighboring chimneys. Last year we noted them into the first two weeks of October, so fingers crossed.
In a message dated 10/2/2026 10:09:47 AM Eastern Daylight Time, <birders...> writes: Yesterday I had Downeys and Red-Bellied woodpeckers visit. The Flickers left my yard weeks ago. I saw all three species feeding young this year. I only saw one each Red-Bellied and Flicker, but judging by the succession of rust-colored head feathers that appeared at the suet feeder, there were three different broods of Downeys this year. We also had a successful nest of Chimney Swifts. I only found one egg shell in the fireplace. Lynn in west Dearborn
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Date: 10/2/26 7:09 am From: plynkny via Birders <birders...> Subject: [birders] woodpeckers
Yesterday I had Downeys and Red-Bellied woodpeckers visit. The Flickers left my yard weeks ago. I saw all three species feeding young this year. I only saw one each Red-Bellied and Flicker, but judging by the succession of rust-colored head feathers that appeared at the suet feeder, there were three different broods of Downeys this year.
We also had a successful nest of Chimney Swifts. I only found one egg shell in the fireplace.
Lynn in west Dearborn
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Date: 10/1/26 3:25 pm From: <reports...> Subject: [birders] Detroit River Hawk Watch (01 Oct 2026) 2 Raptors
Detroit River Hawk Watch Brownstown, Michigan, USA Daily Raptor Counts: Oct 01, 2026 -------------------------------------------------------------------
Observation start time: 08:00:00 Observation end time: 15:00:00 Total observation time: 6.75 hours
Official Counter: Bella Maiwurm
Observers: Rebekah Graham
Visitors: We welcome visitors to our site at the Lake Erie Metropark Boat Launch. We are always willing to discuss the events of the day. Let us share our enthusiasm with you. There will be busy days, that may require our full attention, but those are not that frequent, and they provide great thrills for all. We can predict good days to some degree, but the exact hour is up to the birds, so be prepared to put in some time for the best results. Pack a lunch 🍱
Weather: "I would rather die of passion than of boredom." Today's counters could not have been in more agreement with Mr. Zola, for conditions could scarcely have been worse for migrating birds. Between the incessant noise of the pile driver, the high humidity, the tiny insects everywhere, low southerly winds, a barometer that was 29.95 at its highest, a suffocating cloud cover, and a birdless sky, time passed like a watched pot for the day's faithful team of two.
Raptor Observations: In spite of the many factors against us, we managed to eke out two thirds of the falcon hat trick. Our only two birds of the day were a kestrel and a peregrine, both flying low directly over the counting picnic table.
Non-raptor Observations: The usual cormorants, mallards, and terns were in attendance today. Swallows, swifts and gulls were also seen, but with conditions as they were, none crowded the sky as they have in the past. The tree behind our usual picnic table dripped with warblers, mostly yellow-rumped, but with a few blackpoll and bay-breasted strewn in. A single parula was also observed. No flocks of blue jays chose to migrate this day, but two monarchs bravely carried on. The most entertaining observation of the day was neither a bird nor a butterfly, but rather a mammal, namely a raccoon. This raccoon was observed exploring the edge habitat near the boathouse, before reappearing near the picnic tables. This opportunistic creature then proceeded to systematically crawl into each and every trash can, starting with the ones furthest to the south and working its way north. We wish this clever fellow well and hope for more natural foraging sources to present themselves.
Predictions: Today's doldrum of a weather system and tonight's rain may set the stage for tomorrow's birds. Let us hope they settle down and stay put until the morning's northerly winds and high barometer tempts them further south. We will be there to count them if they come. ======================================================================== Report submitted by Erika Van Kirk (<erika_vankirk...>) Detroit River Hawk Watch information may be found at: http://www.detroitriverhawkwatch.org
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Observation start time: 07:30:00 Observation end time: 14:00:00 Total observation time: 6.5 hours
Official Counter: Michael Burton-Smith
Observers: Hugh Kent, Liz Kent, Mike Jaber
Visitors: Thanks to Hugh, Liz and Mike for helping conduct today's count, and to Neil, Marg, Cecile, Donald, Pilla and our other visitors for joining us on the tower.
Weather: Light drizzle in the early morning and afternoon, with calm overcast conditions for the remainder of the day. Very gentle southerly at times.
Raptor Observations: An incredible increase on yesterday's zero Turkey Vultures with eight birds passing through between 1100 and 1200 EST. It was exhausting needing to count using both hands!
A very unremarkable day with the exception of four amazing Peregrine Falcons who hunted across the marsh throughout the day.
The light drizzle and cloud cover in the morning kept the small birds active, with an impressive thirteen species of warbler along with three kinds of flycatcher and a nice flock of twelve White-throated Sparrow. We were very excited to find our first Brown Creeper of the season, as well as flyover Black-bellied Plover and Eastern Meadowlark.
It is a good time to be a herper on the tower, with American Bullfrogs very active amongst the fragmites and several species of turtle seen through the day. Also of note was an Eastern Meadow Vole, adding to our very tidy mammal tally.
Predictions: Tomorrow has a lot of potential as long as the forecast holds. Overnight rain reducing to drizzle in the early morning will be great for keeping small birds active around the tower - we can hope for a few October migrants like the kinglets, Rusty Blackbirds and White-throated Sparrows, along with late warblers and maybe more creepers, flycatchers and sparrows. More importantly, the cloudy skies and strong northerly winds through the day will be great for raptor viewing, and so we will hopefully see a little bit of Turkey Vulture action in the afternoon. ======================================================================== Report submitted by Michael Burton-Smith () Holiday Beach Hawk Watch information may be found at: http://hbmo.ca/
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Observation start time: 07:00:00 Observation end time: 13:45:00 Total observation time: 6.75 hours
Official Counter: Michael Burton-Smith
Observers: Hugh Kent
Visitors: Thanks to Hugh for helping conduct today's count, and to our visitors Neil, Judy, Sandy, Joe, Steve and David who kept us company on the tower!
Weather: If this were a cricket scorecard, the headline would read "Match abandoned due to rain." What started as a very pleasant morning with a gentle southerly quickly deteriorated in the afternoon, with a scattered drizzle developing into a persistent shower.
Raptor Observations: Remarkable in their absence were Turkey Vultures - we have had over 850 on the thirtieth of September for the past three years, but with today's southerly and cloud cover there was not one.
The early morning delivered on last night's falcon forecast, with a female Merlin flying around the tower and some sensational views of Peregrines hunting over the marsh, even going after (unsuccessfully) an immature Northern Harrier.
Also notable was the unexpected departure of our local Bald Eagle pair, who took off in the late morning and flew high and west.
Not too shabby today, with eleven species of warbler around the tower in the early morning taking advantage of the cloudy conditions. Tree Swallows were in abundance over the marsh in the late afternoon, and there were also notable shifts in Red-winged Blackbird, Rusty Blackbird and European Starling. The American White Pelicans are back with 277 present, including a really spectacular flyover in the early morning.
Notable birds for the season included our second Sora for the month (heard) and our first sighting of Ring-billed Duck (12) on the marsh. The 153 species recorded by the Holiday Beach hawkwatch this September is the second highest total since we began making trip reports in 2013, behind only 2024 when 160 species where seen.
Predictions: It'll be a lacklustre start to October with poor conditions for songbird migration overnight and raptor migration tomorrow during the day. We can expect a similar turnout to today with warbler activity peaking in the early morning, and falcons and harriers standing out while the soaring raptors are grounded by the lack of thermals. ======================================================================== Report submitted by Michael Burton-Smith () Holiday Beach Hawk Watch information may be found at: http://hbmo.ca/
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Date: 9/30/26 1:42 pm From: <reports...> Subject: [birders] Detroit River Hawk Watch (30 Sep 2026) 13 Raptors
Detroit River Hawk Watch
Brownstown, Michigan, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Sep 30, 2026
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Observation start time: 08:00:00
Observation end time: 13:30:00
Total observation time: 5.5 hours
Official Counter: Gracie Sangmeister
Observers: Andrew Sturgess, Bella Maiwurm, Don Sherwood,
Rebekah Graham
Visitors:
We welcome visitors to our site at the Lake Erie Metropark Boat Launch. We
are always willing to discuss the events of the day. Let us share our
enthusiasm with you. There will be busy days, that may require our full
attention, but those are not that frequent, and they provide great thrills
for all. We can predict good days to some degree, but the exact hour is up
to the birds, so be prepared to put in some time for the best results. Pack
a lunch😊
Weather:
As far as the birds go, it was all quiet on the Western Front. Not so quiet
aurally, as we were treated to the dulcet tones of both the monthly siren
test for Fermi II, and the machinegun-like sound of the pile driver again.
The day was overcast with occasional darkening of segments of the sky that
made rain seem imminent, it did not arrive until the mid-afternoon hours.
The barometer waffled a little, actually rising a little before resuming a
downward trend. The temperature reached seventy degrees. The winds�therein
lies the rub, came out of the south, or south-southwest all day. In the
seven to nine mph range, it had moved some of the water from our slip up to
Buffalo and created a choppy lake.
Raptor Observations:
Those of you with triskaidekaphobia might want to skip this part of the
report. We only managed thirteen birds today. Eight were sharpies,
kestrels and merlins tied for the second-place award with two apiece, and a
gray ghost northern harrier brought up the rear.
Non-raptor Observations:
The pelicans were present today but in much fewer numbers than yesterday.
Some of them were seen in the cormorant horde that was eating at the Lake
Erie Golden Corral. A few warblers were seen in the trees nearby,
blackpoll, butter-butts and maggies being among their number. The Forster�s
terns continue to dive with abandon in the slip. The Caspian terns have
moved over to waters behind one of the Gibraltar islands. Bella and Mark
almost came to blows over the ancestry of a gull perched on a channel
marker buoy. Gulls are hard, and it was a very slow watch. Blue jays made a
rebound from their surprisingly low numbers yesterday. Today we had two
thousand, three-hundred and forty-seven pass by. A lone monarch was noted.
Predictions:
Tomorrow will be a continuation of today�s system with full cloud cover,
projected rain at some point during the day, and a falling barometer that
should bottom out tomorrow evening. The barometer will rebound strongly
with northerly winds coming with the high-pressure moving in. This bodes
well, although the winds may not favor our site. The weekend looks better
than tomorrow. The temperature tomorrow will be seventy-six, winds will be
out of the south again, reaching higher speeds than today. The rain is
predicted to come after the watch, but I think the birds will pass on this
opportunity, the same as today.
========================================================================
Report submitted by Andrew Sturgess (<ajyes72...>)
Detroit River Hawk Watch information may be found at:
http://www.detroitriverhawkwatch.org
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Observation start time: 07:00:00 Observation end time: 15:00:00 Total observation time: 8 hours
Official Counter: Michael Burton-Smith
Observers: Hugh Kent, Juliette Herdman, Liz Kent, Matt Brannagan, Mike Jaber, Noel Herdman, Wade Carlton
Visitors: Thanks to Mike, Noel, Juliette, Wade, Hugh, Liz and Matt for helping conduct today's count. We had a good number of visitors on the tower today and a lot of great conversations (very much so compensating for the lack of raptors), with a special thanks to Rachael, Adriana, Judy, Steve, David, Neil, Collin and Brandon for spending some time with us, and to Chip and Bob who each brought up a harrier to wow the group!
Weather: Clear skies and only a very gentle breeze predominantly from the south. Temperatures rose to the mid-twenties but with the lack of wind and cloud cover it felt pretty hostile in the mid-afternoon!
Raptor Observations: A very quiet day today, with two hours in the afternoon where no raptors were recorded. Sharp-shinned Hawks have been surprisingly thin on the ground over the past two days, with just 44 seen today, mostly in the morning.
As forecast there was a small fall of warblers overnight, with six species observed today including our first Palm Warbler for the season. Yellow-rumped Warblers and White-throated Sparrows are both increasing in numbers and activity around the tower. The big story of the day was a large mixed flock of Bonapartes and Ring-billed Gull feeding over the marsh in the afternoon. The count of 149 Ring-billed Gulls is the highest total recorded by HBMO in September on record, while the 102 Bonaparte's Gull is the fourth highest September total for this species. Interestingly, all of the top four September counts for Bonaparte's Gull have been in the last two years.
In the morning we were also entertained by two very enthusiastic beavers, whose thundering tail slaps were met with the question, "Is that a whale?"
Predictions: Tomorrow will likely be a fairly slow day, with poor overnight conditions for songbird migration and then pretty hostile weather for raptor migration during the day with overcast skies and southerly winds increasing. Hopefully the gray skies and cooler temperatures will at least keep the small birds active around the tower, and maybe bring in a Merlin or two in the early morning! ======================================================================== Report submitted by Michael Burton-Smith () Holiday Beach Hawk Watch information may be found at: http://hbmo.ca/
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Date: 9/29/26 2:51 pm From: <reports...> Subject: [birders] Detroit River Hawk Watch (29 Sep 2026) 458 Raptors
Detroit River Hawk Watch
Brownstown, Michigan, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Sep 29, 2026
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Observation start time: 08:00:00
Observation end time: 15:00:00
Total observation time: 7 hours
Official Counter: Gracie Sangmeister
Observers: Andrew Sturgess, Bella Maiwurm, Bill Peregord,
Michelle Peregord, Rebekah Graham , Rosemary Brady
Visitors:
We welcome visitors to our site at the Lake Erie Metropark Boat Launch. We
are always willing to discuss the events of the day. Let us share our
enthusiasm with you. There will be busy days, that may require our full
attention, but those are not that frequent, and they provide great thrills
for all. We can predict good days to some degree, but the exact hour is up
to the birds, so be prepared to put in some time for the best results. Pack
a lunch😊
Weather:
The huge high-pressure system that has been punishing us, at first with
high in-your-face winds, then gentler blows, but sufficient enough to
deflect our normal supply of birds at this time of year, has finally moved
on. It was so bad we were thinking of going to Holiday Beach to see if we
could borrow a cup of sharpies. Today, the winds slowly veered around the
compass to the south before picking up steam. The transition period was a
window of opportunity for some of the birds to come our way. The wind speed
was shown at zero in the early hours as it changed from north to south
before slowly increasing to a peak of ten mph in the late afternoon. As a
result, the flight slowed to a bare minimum. The temperature reached
seventy-six degrees. The barometer is easing down as rain is in the
forecast over the next few days. Clouds, except for convection clouds along
the shoreline, were nowhere to be seen today.
Raptor Observations:
Although turkey vultures took the gold today with two hundred and
thirty-five birds, for most of the day, they were just off camera for us.
M.I.A. in the haze of evaporation from Lake Erie. Nearly all the birds we
counted came in a one-hour period. Sharp-shins were a little more evenly
spread out. One hundred and sixty-four came by, the most we have had for a
week. Northern harriers gave us a season-high thirty-one birds today, a
pleasant change from recent single-digit days. Kestrels provided nineteen
clicks today. Three red-tailed hawks were counted. Two bald eagles were
noted pumping through with a purpose. One osprey flew by.
Non-raptor Observations:
Our aural bliss was maintained for the most part today, but the future
looks bleak as more sheet pilings were placed in position to be hammered
down. The pelicans were busy today, two hundred plus, making appearances in
breakout groups of thirty to forty members. This morning they joined the
cormorants out on the lake for a brunch with bottomless mimosas. Another
tightly bunched group fed by the Celeron Island jetty. Forster�s terns were
busy this morning, ten were gathered together in the slip, slightly more
than usual. The Caspian terns are still present. Pied-billed grebes were
noted in the slip. A black duck was observed flying by. A Carolina wren was
spinning the discs today keeping the rave going. Blackpoll and
yellow-rumped warblers were seen on the trail. Five hundred and
twenty-three blue jays were counted. Eleven monarchs continued the long
trek.
Predictions:
Tomorrow should be a cloudier day. The pressure will be falling for a
couple of days as wet weather approaches. Rain may fall tomorrow night. The
temperature will drop about five degrees. The winds will not be favorable.
Coming from the south, or south-southwest, and predicted to stay in the
five mile per hour range, it is hoped that they are not strong enough to
divert the birds to a more northerly path. Given the low-pressure and cloud
cover, they may skirt the area. Fingers crossed that they don�t.
========================================================================
Report submitted by Andrew Sturgess (<ajyes72...>)
Detroit River Hawk Watch information may be found at:
http://www.detroitriverhawkwatch.org
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Date: 9/29/26 7:25 am From: 'Bev Wolf' via Birders <birders...> Subject: Re: [birders] Hummers and other Departures
Two days ago we had a hummer at our feeder, but haven't been around since to keep an eye out. We live on the shore of Presque Isle Harbor - Lk Huron - north of Alpena.
The last Hummers hanging around here left about four days ago. The last Monarch to eclose here happened about the same time. I still have a few chrysalises but they’re “duds” by now and are never going to emerge. Researchers are talking a
lot about this record El Niño and the anticipated weird winter we’re going to have and have surmised many creatures have already left early. Any still around your places?
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Observation start time: 07:00:00 Observation end time: 15:00:00 Total observation time: 8 hours
Official Counter: Michael Burton-Smith
Observers: Hugh Kent, Jeremy Bensette, Karen Padbury, Mike Jaber, Noel Herdman, Peter Veighey, Robin Smallwood, Wade Carlton
Visitors: Thanks to Wade, Mike, Noel, Karen, Peter, Hugh, Jeremy and Robin for their assistance with today's count, with special mentions to Jeremy for identifying the Common Raven and Mike for his sensational lantern-fly-catching reflexes. It was lovely to be joined by Kit, Neil, Margaret, Josh, Kim and Jeff who brought some great conversation and keen eyes across the day.
Weather: Very comfortable conditions with clear skies, temperatures in the mid-twenties and a gentle northerly breeze through the day.
Raptor Observations: It was a brilliant beginning to the day with an adult and a juvenile Peregrine making several rounds of the tower (less wonderful for the Blue Jays, Red-winged Blackbirds and waterfowl). Things were otherwise pretty slow, with a few nice kettles of Turkey Vulture in the mid-afternoon and moderate movements of Sharp-shinned Hawks and American Kestrels.
To say we had nothing all day would be an overstatement, but only a very small one. It was a very quiet day with most of the big ticket items from the past week either not showing well, in reduced numbers, or completely absent. Pelicans and Blue Jays are both well down from their peaks late last week, and warblers and sparrows thin on the ground.
However, there were two very notable entries for the day list. The first came in the form of a very strange, all dark raptor that had us scratching heads... Wait! Not a raptor - a Common Raven! This is just the seventh seen by HBMO, and the first September record for this species at Holiday Beach. There were also two sightings of the highly invasive Spotted Lantern Fly, including one which was successfully (and quite incredibly) caught by Mike J and killed. Both individuals have been reported to the CFIA.
Predictions: Hopefully the gentle northerly and clear skies after midnight will bring in some new songbirds, with the cool morning forecast ideal for spotting sparrows and warblers. We should (fingers crossed) see Orange-crowned Warblers arriving soon. For raptors it will most likely be similar to today, with low numbers of most species in the morning and Turkey Vultures taking advantage of the clear skies in the mid-afternoon. ======================================================================== Report submitted by Michael Burton-Smith () Holiday Beach Hawk Watch information may be found at: http://hbmo.ca/
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Date: 9/28/26 2:57 pm From: <reports...> Subject: [birders] Detroit River Hawk Watch (28 Sep 2026) 296 Raptors
Detroit River Hawk Watch Brownstown, Michigan, USA Daily Raptor Counts: Sep 28, 2026 -------------------------------------------------------------------
Observation start time: 08:00:00 Observation end time: 15:00:00 Total observation time: 7 hours
Official Counter: Gracie Sangmeister
Observers: Bill Peregord, Don Sherwood, Mark Hainen, Rebekah Graham, Rosemary Brady
Visitors: We welcome visitors to our site at the Lake Erie Metropark Boat Launch. We are always willing to discuss the events of the day. Let us share our enthusiasm with you. There will be busy days, that may require our full attention, but those are not that frequent, and they provide great thrills for all. We can predict good days to some degree, but the exact hour is up to the birds, so be prepared to put in some time for the best results. Pack a lunch 😎
Weather: Our pile driver neighbors came back today, pounding our eardrums with the same vigorous force with which they pounded the sea wall. An hour in, one counter was sent on a quest for ear plugs, at which point the construction workers decided to move on to other tasks. Those in the park spent the rest of the day in aural bliss. Though the raptors trickled in more than they poured, counters were kept busy enough with traffic encouraged by light winds from the north and north northwest, and a barometer that managed to stay above 30". Clouds were scarce in the morning hours, but then moved in to lend a backdrop to the high fliers.
Raptor Observations: Today's total came to two hundred and ninety-six. Turkey vultures again took the highest number at one hundred and thirty-five; an additional dozen failed to make the count as they were witnessed headed in the wrong direction. Sharp-shins were plentiful at ninety-nine. Thirty-seven kestrels passed through with them. Broad-wings were few and far between at thirteen. Five harriers were counted, as were three red-tails who seem to finally be turning south. One merlin and one Cooper's hawk made the clicker. Two unknown buteos chose not to reveal themselves in the morning glare, hard as we tried to turn them into red-shoulders.
Non-raptor Observations: A large flock of non-caspian terns flew straight into the sun early in the day. Few mallards flew by, and the egret spent little time on its favored log, but the cormorants were out and about in their usual tree. The resident eagles were also quite active, seen soaring high and low all day long. A young peregrine was observed trying its hand at hunting, folding its wings in a full stoop before pulling up short, its target seemingly no longer worth the effort. Seven hundred and forty-four blue jays were seen migrating, as were two monarchs.
Predictions: Tomorrow will likely feel much the same to the counters, but worsen for the birds. Temperature will again reach a high of 73F, skies will be partly cloudy to sunny, and the barometer will stay above 30". Winds will unfortunately stay low, and change from northerly to southerly by 11am. Raptor predictions remain a coin toss, but the outlook is not promising. ======================================================================== Report submitted by Erika Van Kirk (<erika_vankirk...>) Detroit River Hawk Watch information may be found at: http://www.detroitriverhawkwatch.org
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Observation start time: 07:00:00 Observation end time: 15:00:00 Total observation time: 8 hours
Official Counter: Paul Gosselin
Observers: Corinne Allsop, Hugh Kent, Jaron Wilkinson, Joanne Andkilde, Kory Renaud, Liz Kent, Matt Brannagan, Mike Jaber, Noel Herdman, Robin Smallwood
Visitors: Another great job by our hard working team of counters including: Noel, Mike, Jaron, Robin, Hugh, Liz, Corinne, Matt, Joanne and Kory. Nice to see lots of visitors, Katherine, David and Steve, Evelyn and Neil, Melanie and Loren, Sherry and Jamie, Gregory, Bob S, and anyone we may have missed!
Weather: Another great day on the tower. With ideal wind conditions from the North. Clear blue skies. Warm and Sunny!
Raptor Observations: First of the season immature Red-Shouldered Hawk (1) was spotted! Turkey Vultures (599) lead the way as their movements increase. Sharp-shinned Hawks (524) gave us a steady trickle throughout the day. All falcons were represented again today with American Kestrels (94), Merlins (2) and Peregrines(3). A Peregrine gave us great entertainment attempting to push a Bald Eagle out of the Sky. Nice to have 11 species of raptors today!
Non-raptor Observations: Blue Jays were active with 12381 storming the tower within the first hour of the count, totalling 17603 over the entire day. Great selection of sparrows were viewed with the Clay-Colored Sparrow(1) returning and a small group of White Throated Sparrow(5). Seasons first of a pair of Trumpeter Swan! Good selection of thrushes with Veery, Hermit and Swainson's seen.
Our local fox was spotted spooking a few Great Blue Herons towards the Hunt Club this morning.
Predictions: Tomorrow looking like similar conditions with clear skies, warm temperatures and our preferred northern wind. Broad-winged Hawks are gradually reducing in number, but it is likely that Turkey Vultures and Sharp-shinned Hawks will continue to pass in good numbers. ======================================================================== Report submitted by Chad Cornish (<mail...>) Holiday Beach Hawk Watch information may be found at: http://hbmo.ca/
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Date: 9/27/26 5:22 pm From: <reports...> Subject: [birders] Detroit River Hawk Watch (27 Sep 2026) 311 Raptors
Detroit River Hawk Watch Brownstown, Michigan, USA Daily Raptor Counts: Sep 27, 2026 -------------------------------------------------------------------
Observation start time: 08:00:00 Observation end time: 15:00:00 Total observation time: 7 hours
Official Counter: Gracie Sangmeister
Observers: Andrew Sturgess, Don Sherwood, Mark Hainen, Rebekah Graham
Visitors: We welcome visitors to our site at the Lake Erie Metropark Boat Launch. We are always willing to discuss the events of the day. Let us share our enthusiasm with you. There will be busy days, that may require our full attention, but those are not that frequent, and they provide great thrills for all. We can predict good days to some degree, but the exact hour is up to the birds, so be prepared to put in some time for the best results. Pack a lunch 🤙
Weather: Today's level of success was simply a matter of perspective. Though we passed a rather low key day and said as much to inquiring passersby, those same visitors reminded us of the non-migratory pleasures that surrounded us. The continuation of the weekend saved us from the aural aggression of the pile driver, the sun shone in a clear blue sky, and the northerly breeze was light. The barometer stayed above 30", the humidity dropped steeply throughout the day from 89% to 39%, and visibility remained high.
Raptor Observations: We managed to raise the bar from yesterday, achieving a total of three hundred and eleven migrating raptors. The turkey vultures teetered into first place at one hundred seventy-four. The sharp-shins, mostly skirting the tree line or high in the blue, came in second at one hundred and nine. Eleven broad-winged hawks and eleven kestrels tied for third. Harriers were fourth, totaling five in number. A lone red-tail made the tally, edging us into six species for the day.
Non-raptor Observations: Monarchs were few, only two were seen. One thousand five hundred and eleven blue jays were counted migrating in their typical fast and furious fashion. The resident eagles gave us a brief show, a young bird choosing to tussle with an adult. A gull successfully caught or stole a fish which was too big for its throat, and entertained watchers by flying around with it half out of its mouth. As usual, the Carolina wrens sang, the gulls fooled us into looking, and the cormorants sunned themselves in their favorite tree.
Predictions: Tomorrow promises to be much the same as today in quite literally every way. The skies are predicted to be sunny and cloudless, the temperature will rise to 73F, and winds will be light from the north and north northeast. Only the barometer will change, unfortunately plunging to 29.99" before the count day is up. We still hope for our reliable sharpies and the oncoming vultures, but whether the day will reward is with much more is anyone's guess and more influenced by warring optimism and pessimism within than by known fact. ======================================================================== Report submitted by Erika Van Kirk (<erika_vankirk...>) Detroit River Hawk Watch information may be found at: http://www.detroitriverhawkwatch.org
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Observation start time: 07:00:00 Observation end time: 15:00:00 Total observation time: 8 hours
Official Counter: Paul Gosselin
Observers: Corinne Allsop, Hugh Kent, Jaron Wilkinson, Joanne Andkilde, Kory Renaud, Liz Kent, Matt Brannagan, Mike Jaber, Noel Herdman, Robin Smallwood
Visitors: Another great job by our hard working team of counters including: Noel, Mike, Jaron, Robin, Hugh, Liz, Corinne, Matt, Joanne and Kory. Nice to see lots of visitors, Katherine, David and Steve, Evelyn and Neil, Melanie and Loren, Sherry and Jamie, Gregory, Bob S, and anyone we may have missed!
Weather: Another great day on the tower. With ideal wind conditions from the North. Clear blue skies. Warm and Sunny!
Raptor Observations: First of the season immature Red-Shoulder Hawk (1) was spotted! Turkey Vultures (599) lead the way as their movements increase. Sharp Shinned Hawks (524) gave us a steady trickle throughout the day. All Falcons were represented again today with American Kestrels (94), Merlins (2) and Peregrines(3). A Peregrine gave us great entertainment attempting to push a Bald Eagle out of the Sky. Nice to have 11 species of raptors today!
Non-raptor Observations: Blue Jays were active with 123810 storming the tower within the first hour of the count, totalling 17603 over the entire day. Great selection of sparrows were viewed with the Clay-Colored Sparrow(1) returning and a small group of White Throated Sparrow(5). Seasons first of a pair of Trumpeter Swan! Good selection of thrushes with Veery, Hermit and Swainson's seen.
Our local fox was spotted spooking a few Great Blue Herons towards the Hunt Club this morning.
Predictions: Tomorrow looking like similar conditions with clear skies, warm temperatures and our preferred northern wind. Broad-winged Hawks are gradually reducing in number, but it is likely that Turkey Vultures and Sharp-shinned Hawks will continue to pass in good numbers. ======================================================================== Report submitted by () Holiday Beach Hawk Watch information may be found at: http://hbmo.ca/
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Date: 9/26/26 6:06 pm From: <reports...> Subject: [birders] Detroit River Hawk Watch (26 Sep 2026) 241 Raptors
Detroit River Hawk Watch
Brownstown, Michigan, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Sep 26, 2026
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Observation start time: 08:00:00
Observation end time: 15:00:00
Total observation time: 7 hours
Official Counter: Gracie Sangmeister
Observers: Andrew Sturgess, Bella Maiwurm, Bill Peregord, Don Sherwood,
Mark Hainen, Michelle Peregord, Rosemary Brady
Visitors:
We welcome visitors to our site at the Lake Erie Metropark Boat Launch. We
are always willing to discuss the events of the day. Let us share our
enthusiasm with you. There will be busy days, that may require our full
attention, but those are not that frequent, and they provide great thrills
for all. We can predict good days to some degree, but the exact hour is up
to the birds, so be prepared to put in some time for the best results. Pack
a lunch🪶
Weather:
Well, our faces continue to enjoy a break from the wind and our ears got a
rest from yesterday�s relentless pile driver. And unfortunately our eyes
continue to get a break from counting large kettles. The skies remained
blue throughout the day, a few patches of clouds painting the horizon above
the lake. The winds topped out at eleven miles per hour, fairly consistent
from the north to northeast. The temperature reached seventy-one degrees.
The barometer peaked at thirty point thirty-one before continuing on its
decent to thirty point eighteen by the end of the day, the declining lift
certainly not helping our birds appear.
Raptor Observations:
Red-shoulders have debuted! The first two immature red-shouldered hawks
have been added to the scoreboard, one passing low overhead, providing
great looks and photos. Turkey vultures took first place, with one hundred
and thirty-one individuals streaming across the lake. Thousands more should
hopefully join their ranks in the coming weeks as their peak approaches.
Sharp-shins took second, with forty-one birds appearing from the blue.
Thirty-seven broadies, who missed the memo to join the large kettles of
last week, proceeded south today. A handful of northern harriers and
kestrels made appearances as well.
Non-raptor Observations:
One thousand eight hundred and forty-eight blue jays made their way
southward bound in groups of fifty to three hundred. The usual locals were
out and about. Our log-rolling egret practiced its footwork, white-breasted
nuthatch laughed its way up and down the maples, and the Caspian tern pairs
patrolled the edge of the docks. The red-headed woodpecker made another
appearance today! One hundred and fifty American white pelicans were
wheeling about the sky, demonstrating fantastic acrobatics for such a large
bird. Five monarchs drifted past the picnic tables.
Predictions:
Any day with birds is a good day, though we can always be hopeful for skies
covered in accipiters, buteos, and more. Tomorrow�s temperature will peak
at seventy-five degrees with full sun and deep blue skies. The winds will
be coming from the north all day, somewhere between five and ten miles per
hour. The barometer is continuing on the decline, and will reach
twenty-nine point nine six by days end. The odds are not great for a large
movement, but hopefully our sharp-shins, harriers, and turkey vultures will
keep our counters occupied.
========================================================================
Report submitted by Erika Van Kirk (<erika_vankirk...>)
Detroit River Hawk Watch information may be found at:
http://www.detroitriverhawkwatch.org
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Observation start time: 07:00:00 Observation end time: 16:00:00 Total observation time: 9 hours
Official Counter: Paul Gosselin
Observers: Andrew Fix, Cameron Chevalier, Hugh Kent, Jaron Wilkinson, Karen Padbury, Liz Kent, Michael Burton-Smith, Mike Jaber, Noel Herdman, Peter Veighey
Visitors: Big thanks to Andrew, Cameron, Hugh, Jaron, Karen, Liz, Michael, Mike, Matt, Noah, Bryan, Fran and Peter for great observing and counting! Was good to see again Toni and Lou, Brian, Pat, Evelyn, Neil and Marianne, Heather and Alban, Corinne, Alex and friends. All took a great interest in the Hawk Watch! Great to see 2 banded Coopers Hawk being brought up to the tower by Allan!
Weather: Moderate wind coming through from the North, our favourite direction! Temperature started off cool at 11c slowly rose to 24c. Light cloud clover throughout day. Great clear visibility. A good comfortable day on the tower.
Raptor Observations: Turkey Vultures (502) led the pack with Sharp-Shinned Hawks (487) following closely behind. Good to see a few Broad Winged Hawks (115) still trickling across. All falcons were represented with good numbers of American Kestrels (115), Merlins(3) and a late Peregrine Falcon (1) carrying a blue jay for its evening snack.
Non-raptor Observations: American Pelicans (226) wowed the crowd with its their majestic flight displays. Blue Jays (21283) continued to flow through with similar number from yesterdays. 9 Warbler species spotted today with a large group of Yellow Rumped (16). A first of the season a Pine Siskin was heard flying over. Good views of a Common Nighthawk later on in the day. A late lone Purple Martin was also sighted.
We witnessed a territorial dispute between 2 large male common snapping turtles in the pond.
Predictions: Tomorrow brings us another day of favourable north winds! We can expect similar numbers with hopefully more Turkey Vultures, and of course more Blue Jays! ======================================================================== Report submitted by Paul Gosselin (<paulgosselin25...>) Holiday Beach Hawk Watch information may be found at: http://hbmo.ca/
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Date: 9/26/26 7:33 am From: 'Marilou Capo' via Birders <birders...> Subject: Re: [birders] Hummers and other Departures
Hummers still present in Bloomfield Hills, however chimney swifts are noticeably absent. Our summer resident group of five is nowhere to be seen, nor the nightly swarms dropping in a neighborhood chimney.
In a message dated 9/25/2026 8:10:38 PM Eastern Daylight Time, <birders...> writes: There are still at least two juvenile hummingbirds at our place in Ypsilanti.
Sent from the all-new AOL app for iOS
On Friday, September 25, 2026, 2:15 pm, Fred Kaluza <fredkaluza...> wrote:
The last Hummers hanging around here left about four days ago. The last Monarch to eclose here happened about the same time. I still have a few chrysalises but they’re “duds” by now and are never going to emerge. Researchers are talking a lot about this record El Niño and the anticipated weird winter we’re going to have and have surmised many creatures have already left early. Any still around your places?
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Date: 9/25/26 8:18 pm From: Fred Kaluza <fredkaluza...> Subject: Re: [birders] Hummers and other Departures
It’s great to hear from so many of you and your local observations. I think reports around these pivotal times of the year (like the autumnal equinox) serve to highlight slight differences in our local biomes and habitats. They may also hint at migration pathways. I’m surmising that not all habitat is equal but critters will fan-out over all the land in an attempt to eek out a living and replicate. I’m thinking of migration as a flood of wildlife across the land. When daylight hours shift to a point, it’s like raising that land and having the water “wildlife” begin forming rivulets and creeks and streams and rivers all moving along the great migration flyways. Once arrived at their winter grounds, the reverse is true where congestion leads to dissipation where the fan-out across the countryside with the most capable occupying areas of densest food availability while those less able (or more creative) move to sparse highlands and cliff faces, each according to their ability and adaptability. I think seasonal migrations contribute a lot to species diversification and evolution in general. Crazy thoughts on an early autumn evening.
________________________________
From: Zerb21 <zerb21...>
Sent: Friday, 25 September 2026 20:10:23
To: Fred Kaluza <fredkaluza...>; BIRDERS@UMICH <birders...>
Subject: Re: [birders] Hummers and other Departures
There are still at least two juvenile hummingbirds at our place in Ypsilanti.
On Friday, September 25, 2026, 2:15 pm, Fred Kaluza <fredkaluza...> wrote:
The last Hummers hanging around here left about four days ago. The last Monarch to eclose here happened about the same time. I still have a few chrysalises but they’re “duds” by now and are never going to emerge. Researchers are talking a lot about this record El Niño and the anticipated weird winter we’re going to have and have surmised many creatures have already left early. Any still around your places?
--
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Observation start time: 07:00:00 Observation end time: 15:00:00 Total observation time: 8 hours
Official Counter: Michael Burton-Smith
Observers: Andrew Fix, Juliette Herdman, Kitty Bradshaw, Matt Brannagan, Mike Jaber, Noel Herdman, Robin Smallwood
Visitors: Thanks to Matt, Mike, Noel, Juliette, Kitty, Robin and Andy for helping conduct today's count. We are especially grateful to Kitty, who leaves us now after volunteering her keen eyes and clicker fingers over the last two weeks and really helping us keep on top of the Sharp-shinned Hawks!
Thanks to our many other visitors who came up through the day, it was lovely to have so many people enjoying the pelicans and the jays with us.
Weather: Around 50% cloud cover throughout the day, with moderate northerlies dying in the mid-afternoon. A bit frigid initially, warming to the early twenties as the wind eased.
Raptor Observations: The day went more or less as scripted, with an increase in Sharp-shinned Hawks and American Kestrel on the previous day, and another reasonable passage of Turkey Vultures in the mid-afternoon. It was also nice to see a couple of small kettles of Broad-winged Hawks again; these should dry up completely within the next few days.
The two thousand Turkey Vultures we have had so far is higher than we usually expect at this stage in the season, either indicating a slightly earlier migration or that we are in for another record year for this species.
We had high counts for the season so far for three daytime-migrating passerines, with 675 American Goldfinch, 10 American Pipit, and 21,300 Blue Jay. There were also reasonable numbers of Cedar Waxwing (210) and Red-winged Blackbird (176). The American White Pelicans continue to show well on the marsh, with 360 present today. The morning is the best time to see the birds feeding among the lilies, but it is in the early afternoon that we have been getting the amazing spectacle of pelicans riding the thermals above us.
The 38,397 Blue Jays recorded since they started migrating on the twentieth is substantially lower than we have had by the same stage over the past few years, tracking at a similar pace to the 2023 season where 250,000 birds were recorded - a far cry from the one million counted in the fall of 2020!
Predictions: Tomorrow is forecast to be relatively similar conditions, so we can expect to see more Blue Jays as well as smaller shifts in Sharp-shinned Hawks in the morning. It will be interesting to see at what point the Turkey Vulture migration really ramps up, with conditions set to be perfect for them over the next three days. ======================================================================== Report submitted by Michael Burton-Smith () Holiday Beach Hawk Watch information may be found at: http://hbmo.ca/
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Date: 9/25/26 5:10 pm From: 'Zerb21' via Birders <birders...> Subject: Re: [birders] Hummers and other Departures
There are still at least two juvenile hummingbirds at our place in Ypsilanti.
Sent from the all-new AOL app for iOS
On Friday, September 25, 2026, 2:15 pm, Fred Kaluza <fredkaluza...> wrote:
The last Hummers hanging around here left about four days ago. The last Monarch to eclose here happened about the same time. I still have a few chrysalises but they’re “duds” by now and are never going to emerge. Researchers are talking a lot about this record El Niño and the anticipated weird winter we’re going to have and have surmised many creatures have already left early. Any still around your places?
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Date: 9/25/26 2:32 pm From: <reports...> Subject: [birders] Detroit River Hawk Watch (25 Sep 2026) 79 Raptors
Detroit River Hawk Watch
Brownstown, Michigan, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Sep 25, 2026
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Observation start time: 08:00:00
Observation end time: 15:00:00
Total observation time: 7 hours
Official Counter: Gracie Sangmeister
Observers: Andrew Sturgess, Bella Maiwurm, Don Sherwood, Mark Hainen,
Rosemary Brady
Visitors:
We welcome visitors to our site at the Lake Erie Metropark Boat Launch. We
are always willing to discuss the events of the day. Let us share our
enthusiasm with you. There will be busy days, that may require our full
attention, but those are not that frequent, and they provide great thrills
for all. We can predict good days to some degree, but the exact hour is up
to the birds, so be prepared to put in some time for the best results. Pack
a lunch😊
Weather:
After four days of exfoliation at the mercy of abrasive winds, we looked
forward to a less aggressive weather day. It turns out that another part of
our body was assaulted. Hurst Marine is constructing a sheet piling
breakwall directly across the slip. Today we listened to the rapid
rat-a-tat-tat of a pile driver for most of the watch. Communication was
difficult, although we had little to communicate. Wind speed was erratic
and surpassed the forecast strength, reaching nine mph at one point. The
direction was fairly consistent, remaining in the north-northeast to
northeast area of the compass. The barometer did drop a tenth of an inch
and perhaps that explains an unusually quiet sky. The clouds were
interesting today with a mix of icy cirrus and contrails, spread and shaped
exuberantly by the winds aloft, while under that, a collection of
altostratus clouds of inconsistent forms. The temperature reached
sixty-eight degrees.
Raptor Observations:
We expected a little more action today. The birds decided that this was not
the day to move, at least in our area. Turkey vultures, which have been
building up in numbers lately, even though not all are departing yet, were
few and far between. Forty-eight were counted. Sharp-shins were not rushing
through the turnstiles either. Twenty-one were noted. Six broadwing
stragglers were observed. Most of their brethren are approaching Corpus
Christi right now. Only three kestrels made the clicker. A disappointing
day during which we failed to break the century mark. We are between major
species but the supporting cast did not show up today.
Non-raptor Observations:
The pelicans were out in force with two hundred and forty of them observed
wheeling in formation. They splintered into break-out groups, as they are
wont to do, and were seen in smaller assemblies during the day. Gulls
continue to fill the sky, although I was told by a visitor from Wagner�s
Gap that their visual flak is lantern flies, so I guess we should not
complain. Our day is coming with those invaders though. We�ll see if our
gulls are a match for them. Two great egrets continue to play musical
chairs with a favored log floating in the water. The Forster�s terns were
busy diving today. Yesterday, we had some common eider ducks in the
southern part of the park. They were tracked from Canada and were seen at
various locations in Ohio and Michigan. Five thousand, four hundred and
seventy-three blue jays passed through, along with twenty-five monarchs.
Predictions:
Tomorrow looks to be a sunnier day and hopefully that will brighten the
spirits of the birds, encouraging them to move. Temperatures will break the
seventy-degree mark tomorrow, but just by a degree. The barometer will fall
by a couple of tenths. That is not a good sign as lower pressure is
approaching with rain possible next week. Winds look to be similar to
today, NNE in the five to ten mph range. Hopefully, we will see more
activity than today. Hopefully, Hurst Marine takes the weekend off.
========================================================================
Report submitted by Andrew Sturgess (<ajyes72...>)
Detroit River Hawk Watch information may be found at:
http://www.detroitriverhawkwatch.org
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Date: 9/25/26 1:59 pm From: 'Karen Gourlay' via Birders <birders...> Subject: Re: [birders] Hummers and other Departures
I saw quite a few hummers yesterday, battling over the feeders. They were still feeding even as it was getting dark out. I suspect they were fueling up to leave as today I’ve only seen one.
Karen(Salem Twp)
On Friday, September 25, 2026 at 02:41:45 PM EDT, Mag Tait <magtait1...> wrote:
In Ohio today but had at least 2 hummers battling for nectar and there are monarchs here in Midwest Ohio
On Fri, Sep 25, 2026 at 2:20 PM Susan Falcone <sfalcone...> wrote:
Still have hummers and monarchs and great-spangled fritillaries and other butterflies and a bazillion different bees and little wasps...lots still blooming in our perennial gardens...
--------------------------------------------
Susan Falcone
Falcone Studio/Studies from Nature
Ann Arbor MI 48105
studio (734) 995-1681
<sfalcone...>
--------------------------------------------
On Sep 25, 2026, at 2:15 PM, Fred Kaluza <fredkaluza...> wrote:
The last Hummers hanging around here left about four days ago. The last Monarch to eclose here happened about the same time. I still have a few chrysalises but they’re “duds” by now and are never going to emerge. Researchers are talking a lot about this record El Niño and the anticipated weird winter we’re going to have and have surmised many creatures have already left early. Any still around your places?
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Date: 9/25/26 11:41 am From: Mag Tait <magtait1...> Subject: Re: [birders] Hummers and other Departures
In Ohio today but had at least 2 hummers battling for nectar and there are
monarchs here in Midwest Ohio
On Fri, Sep 25, 2026 at 2:20 PM Susan Falcone <sfalcone...> wrote:
> Still have hummers and monarchs and great-spangled fritillaries and other
> butterflies and a bazillion different bees and little wasps...lots still
> blooming in our perennial gardens...
>
> --------------------------------------------
> Susan Falcone
> Falcone Studio/Studies from Nature
> Ann Arbor MI 48105
> studio (734) 995-1681
> <sfalcone...>
> --------------------------------------------
>
>
>
>
> On Sep 25, 2026, at 2:15 PM, Fred Kaluza <fredkaluza...> wrote:
>
> The last Hummers hanging around here left about four days ago. The last
> Monarch to eclose here happened about the same time. I still have a few
> chrysalises but they’re “duds” by now and are never going to emerge.
> Researchers are talking a lot about this record El Niño and the anticipated
> weird winter we’re going to have and have surmised many creatures have
> already left early. Any still around your places?
>
> --
> Birders is a service of the Great Lakes Commission. Visit us at
> www.glc.org
>
> Messages and content distributed on Birders are the sole responsibility of
> the subscriber providing such content and
> do not reflect the views, policy or position of the Great Lakes
> Commission.
> ---
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> https://groups.google.com/a/great-lakes.net/d/msgid/birders/<SJ2PR02MB9708C52688893EDDE0572735FC802...> > <https://groups.google.com/a/great-lakes.net/d/msgid/birders/<SJ2PR02MB9708C52688893EDDE0572735FC802...>?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer> > .
>
>
> --
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> www.glc.org
>
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> Commission.
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Date: 9/25/26 11:40 am From: 'ARTHUR JEFFREY' via Birders <birders...> Subject: [birders] Hummingbirds + Downy Woodpecker
Still have a couple Hummingbirds and Downy Woodpecker, in Brighton, drinking from the Hummingbird feeder. I think the woodpecker is waiting for the suet to come out.
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Date: 9/25/26 11:20 am From: Susan Falcone <sfalcone...> Subject: Re: [birders] Hummers and other Departures
Still have hummers and monarchs and great-spangled fritillaries and other butterflies and a bazillion different bees and little wasps...lots still blooming in our perennial gardens...
--------------------------------------------
Susan Falcone
Falcone Studio/Studies from Nature
Ann Arbor MI 48105
studio (734) 995-1681
<sfalcone...>
--------------------------------------------
> On Sep 25, 2026, at 2:15 PM, Fred Kaluza <fredkaluza...> wrote:
>
> The last Hummers hanging around here left about four days ago. The last Monarch to eclose here happened about the same time. I still have a few chrysalises but they’re “duds” by now and are never going to emerge. Researchers are talking a lot about this record El Niño and the anticipated weird winter we’re going to have and have surmised many creatures have already left early. Any still around your places?
>
> --
> Birders is a service of the Great Lakes Commission. Visit us at www.glc.org
>
> Messages and content distributed on Birders are the sole responsibility of the subscriber providing such content and
> do not reflect the views, policy or position of the Great Lakes
> Commission.
> ---
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> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to birders+<unsubscribe...> <mailto:birders+<unsubscribe...>.
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Date: 9/25/26 11:15 am From: Fred Kaluza <fredkaluza...> Subject: [birders] Hummers and other Departures
The last Hummers hanging around here left about four days ago. The last Monarch to eclose here happened about the same time. I still have a few chrysalises but they’re “duds” by now and are never going to emerge. Researchers are talking a lot about this record El Niño and the anticipated weird winter we’re going to have and have surmised many creatures have already left early. Any still around your places?
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Observation start time: 07:00:00 Observation end time: 15:00:00 Total observation time: 8 hours
Official Counter: Michael Burton-Smith
Observers: Juliette Herdman, Kitty Bradshaw, Mike Jaber, Noel Herdman, Robin Smallwood, Wade Carlton
Visitors: Thanks to Noel, Juliette, Mike, Robin and Kitty for helping to conduct today's count, and to all our visitors who wanted to share in the birds and especially the pelicans! It was also awesome to see Emily and three school groups today, who were all very excited to learn about the hawks and that snapping turtles do, in fact, have tails.
Weather: Northerly winds turning to a mild easterly through the day, with temperatures rising from a nippy fourteen to a slightly toasty twenty as the clouds cleared. Challenging conditions for raptor watching in the afternoon, with clear skies and strong thermals lifting the birds high.
Raptor Observations: We really are the depths of the transition period from our mid-September movers, especially Broad-winged Hawks, into the October migrants like Turkey Vulture and Red-tailed Hawks. Consequently it is overall very quiet at the moment, although a few kettles of Turkey Vulture in the mid-afternoon helped bolster the day's count.
Raptor sighting of the day was absolutely a juvenile Peregrine who swooped in early this morning and caught a migrating Blue Jay, perching on a dead tree to eat the catch!
As an interesting aside, we have seen more of every raptor species compared to the same date last year except three, with Osprey drawing level on 25 individuals, Cooper's Hawk down by just under twenty percent, and Peregrines trailing last year's figures by two. Although Broad-winged Hawks have stolen the headlines this year, there have also been substantial year-on-year increases in Red-tailed Hawk and Turkey Vulture, making it a very promising season for raptor numbers overall.
Today saw the first minor movement of Red-winged Blackbirds, along with our first Rusty Blackbird of the season. Blue Jay migration is also going up the gears, with 6915 individuals in the morning. On the marsh, pelican numbers continue to increase as the lilies die back, with a minimum count of 320 today, although the real number was likely slightly higher. It was also nice to see our family of three Sandhill Crane back on the marsh, as well as a large number of Green-winged Teal.
Non-bird related observations included a Blanding's Turtle and a Common Snapping Turtle observed crossing the drive, and a high diversity of butterflies which were particularly active in the sunny periods of the afternoon.
Predictions: A northerly wind and clear skies will make good conditions for passerine migration overnight, and more mild winds through the day will hopefully mean a few new warblers and possibly even some sparrows around the tower to keep us entertained in the morning! Raptor-wise, the northerly wind and cloudy skies will make for relatively good conditions, and while we cannot expect miracles at this stage in the season we will hopefully see another moderate movement of Turkey Vulture in the afternoon and a slight increase on today's numbers for Sharp-shinned Hawk and American Kestrel. ======================================================================== Report submitted by Michael Burton-Smith () Holiday Beach Hawk Watch information may be found at: http://hbmo.ca/
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Date: 9/24/26 3:07 pm From: <reports...> Subject: [birders] Detroit River Hawk Watch (24 Sep 2026) 298 Raptors
Detroit River Hawk Watch
Brownstown, Michigan, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Sep 24, 2026
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Observation start time: 08:00:00
Observation end time: 15:00:00
Total observation time: 7 hours
Official Counter: Bella Maiwurm
Observers: Andrew Sturgess, Bill Peregord, Jerry Jourdan,
Rebekah Graham
Visitors:
We welcome visitors to our site at the Lake Erie Metropark Boat Launch. We
are always willing to discuss the events of the day. Let us share our
enthusiasm with you. There will be busy days, that may require our full
attention, but those are not that frequent, and they provide great thrills
for all. We can predict good days to some degree, but the exact hour is up
to the birds, so be prepared to put in some time for the best results. Pack
a lunch😊
Weather:
�Way out west, they�ve got a name��they call the wind Maria� We had a few
choice names for the wind today, most including an adjective that starts
with a letter that precedes M in the alphabet. Once again, we faced a
robust wind coming mainly from the east, peaking at fourteen mph and
staying above ten mph for all but the very early hours of the watch.
Temperatures reached seventy degrees and the sun finally made an
appearance, although a procession of large cumulus clouds in the morning
hours passed through like balloons in the Macy�s Thanksgiving Day parade.
The barometer is still high, but it was starting to drop a little in the
afternoon as it begins a long gradual decline over several days. The winds
all but cleared the sky of migrants, leaving a few hundred gulls
masquerading as raptors at times. The high winds causing them to morph from
their usual wing shapes to more falconesque forms.
Raptor Observations:
Turkey vultures are still reluctant to move in big numbers, as they will in
October. We counted two hundred and fifty-six today, most moving out over
the lake from the tip of Canada. Sharp-shins were in the neighborhood early
in the morning, but as the winds picked up and went further east, they were
off-radar. Nineteen were counted today. Kestrels did not break double
digits today, only nine were present and accounted for. We did manage the
falcon hat-trick with a solo peregrine and two merlins. September�s star,
the broad-winged hawk, could only muster five birds today, but we expected
a poor turnout with the predicted conditions. Three northern harriers were
noted. One red-tailed hawk was also counted.
Non-raptor Observations:
The highlight of the day was the release of a juvenile broad-winged hawk
that had been fished from the waters of Lake St. Clair by some observant
boaters. The bird was rehabbed by Michael Marohn, who released the bird at
the hawkwatch site this morning. Via con Dios. A common loon was seen
flying over the tree line. Our kingfisher made a few appearances today. The
pelicans were busy today and seen in many different places. Masters of
smooth flight, even they were fighting the winds on occasion. A pair of
sandhill cranes were sighted a couple of times. We had one thousand, four
hundred and sixty-three blue jays today. They are infiltrating the local
neighborhood as we hear frequent calls now. Despite the odds and brutal
winds, twenty-five monarchs made it though.
Predictions:
What light through yonder window breaks? Tis the wind below ten mph for the
first time in four days, a welcome change. Although predicted to be
northeast in today�s forecast, it may change overnight, as it did last
night. Temperatures will hit sixty-seven and clouds are predicted to clear
in the afternoon, although the cover will be significant in the morning.
On paper this day looks much better than today, but that it not saying
much. We should resume counting sharpies and kestrels. Broad-wings, not so
much, but still possible. Turkey vultures should be increasing in numbers
as we approach October. If the forecast is accurate, it should be a much
more favorable wind than today.
========================================================================
Report submitted by Andrew Sturgess (<ajyes72...>)
Detroit River Hawk Watch information may be found at:
http://www.detroitriverhawkwatch.org
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Observation start time: 07:00:00 Observation end time: 15:00:00 Total observation time: 8 hours
Official Counter: Michael Burton-Smith
Observers: Hugh Kent, Juliette Herdman, Liz Kent, Matt Brannagan, Noel Herdman, Robin Smallwood
Visitors: Thanks to Hugh, Liz, Robin, Matt, Noel and Juliette who helped run today's count. It was great to have Emily and her very enthusiastic school group join us for a short while, even if their guest speaker (me) may have accidentally misled them a little when he said that a female Ruby-throated Hummingbird weighs five kilograms...
Weather: Strong northerly turning east-northeast in the afternoon, with moderate cloud cover and temperatures rising from the mid-teens to the early twenties.
Raptor Observations: A quiet day overall, although Sharp-shinned Hawks passed in reasonable numbers in the morning. Turkey Vultures are still at a steady trickle, it will be another week or two before they really turn on the tap and come in larger numbers. Raptor of the day (and a contender for raptor of the season) was a very endearing Merlin who spent his afternoon hunting above Trout Pond, regularly returning to a very stately perch atop the dead trees.
Blue Jay numbers are continuing to increase as they make their way south, with 5852 passing through today. Though the task of counting the jays is trauma-inducing for some, it is pretty magical to watch them stream across the sky!
Twelve species of warbler were active around the tower in the early morning, along with Ruby-crowned Kinglets who have moved in this week, a White-crowned Sparrow, and a female Indigo Bunting. We also had our first Northern Pintail and Brown Thrasher of the season, and season high counts for American Black Duck and Common Tern.
Predictions: This evening's easterlies will continue through the day tomorrow which is less favourable for the hawks than we had originally hoped, but the clear skies and mild temperatures could prove very fruitful for warblers, especially in the morning. On the raptor front, we will hopefully see another steady flow of Sharp-shinned Hawks, and if we are lucky the sunny conditions will produce nice thermals for the Turkey Vultures and Broad-winged Hawks to kettle on. ======================================================================== Report submitted by Michael Burton-Smith () Holiday Beach Hawk Watch information may be found at: http://hbmo.ca/
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Date: 9/23/26 2:49 pm From: <reports...> Subject: [birders] Detroit River Hawk Watch (23 Sep 2026) 484 Raptors
Detroit River Hawk Watch
Brownstown, Michigan, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Sep 23, 2026
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Observation start time: 08:00:00
Observation end time: 15:00:00
Total observation time: 7 hours
Official Counter: Gracie Sangmeister
Observers: Andrew Sturgess, Bella Maiwurm, Bill Peregord,
Rebekah Graham
Visitors:
We welcome visitors to our site at the Lake Erie Metropark Boat Launch. We
are always willing to discuss the events of the day. Let us share our
enthusiasm with you. There will be busy days, that may require our full
attention, but those are not that frequent, and they provide great thrills
for all. We can predict good days to some degree, but the exact hour is up
to the birds, so be prepared to put in some time for the best results. Pack
a lunch😊
Weather:
Fall has rushed in like a lion this year. For two days we have been like
dogs hanging our heads out of car windows; moving forward at ten to fifteen
miles per hour� we were adapting. Today, someone hit the accelerator and
we were facing winds over twenty mph at times, our ears were pinned back.
The sky was a fall-like amalgam of various shades of various forms of
clouds. At times, blue splashes could be seen through short-lived openings.
As the day progressed, the cloud cover seemed to lessen, although scudding
dark masses still moved through and light rain was falling at the watch�s
end. The temperature reached sixty-four degrees. The barometer reached 30.4
inches, although the sky did not resemble a high-pressure system.
Raptor Observations:
Congratulations to our colleagues at Holiday Beach, we are tapping out of
the race for broadwing supremacy this season. We wish them luck in their
quest to reach an all-time record. We both had a pair of spectacular days,
but theirs was more so. Speaking of broadwings, they took the top step of
the podium today with two hundred and eighteen runners. Most of them came
early before the winds kicked up in earnest. Sharpies took the silver with
one hundred and thirty; most were also early birds. Turkey vultures were a
mix today; some were just chilling in the winds with no intention of moving
on. Of those, some were seen almost kiting as the winds were that strong.
Ninety-seven did pass through. Red-tails had a moment in the morning hours,
eighteen of them fought their way through challenging conditions. The
harriers were rocking like vultures, turning hither and yon, but eventually
floating by. Eleven were noted. Perhaps the kestrels sat this maelstrom out
for the most part as only nine were seen. One Cooper�s hawk in near adult
plumage made the trip.
Non-raptor Observations:
The sky was swept fairly clean by the racing winds today, but gulls took to
the sky in the afternoon hours when it eased just a little. Hundreds of
them in various shapes and sizes, mostly ring-bills and herring gulls,
looking like raptors at times as they flew with trimmed sails, took up
positions all over the sky. I�m not sure where these birds roost, but it
was the largest assemblage we had seen so far this season. The American
white pelicans made a few visits today, some groups larger than others, but
still relatively small for them, thirty or so was the largest pod. The
local version of sargassum has started to float to the surface and collect
at the boat launch area. Ski-Doo�s beware as the loose grass has an
affinity for water intakes. With the winds blowing as they have been, the
water in the slip is higher than usual. We have a peregrine that seems to
have taken up residence for a few days, it made a late appearance today. A
pair of local red-tails were playing tag today as they are apparently
pair-bonding. Seven monarchs made the arduous flight. They were joined by
four thousand, two hundred and twenty-four blue jays.
Predictions:
The winds should subside this evening, thank you, dropping below ten mph
for the start of the watch, but having a dead-cat bounce in the afternoon
up to twelve mph. The rest of the week looks to be closer to five mph which
will seem like the doldrums to us. The direction should stay mostly east.
The temperature will rise a few degrees, forecast to be sixty-seven. The
barometer will hang in there, well above thirty inches. I may not have much
to write about clouds tomorrow as the gloom finally clears and the golden
orb makes a reappearance. The easterly wind seems to make the birds cross
more to the north of us; a lot of birds were in that direction today. It
will still be a brisk wind for most of tomorrow but let�s hope that a
sunnier day will yield more rewards than today.
========================================================================
Report submitted by Andrew Sturgess (<ajyes72...>)
Detroit River Hawk Watch information may be found at:
http://www.detroitriverhawkwatch.org
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Date: 9/23/26 6:38 am From: 'Steve Jerant' via Birders <birders...> Subject: [birders] Haehnle Sanctuary Crane Count 09/21/2026
Haehnle Sanctuary Crane Count 09/21/2026
Total Cranes Roosting: 5
See Don Henise’s JASBlog at:
JacksonAudubon Society - Haehnle Sanctuary Crane Count 09/21/2026 by Don Henise
You can view past postings and historical crane countingdata on
Haehnle web site
JASBlog page
And on the JAS or Haehnle FB pages
Regards,Steve Jerant
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Visitors: Thanks to Kitty, Olga, Chip, Noel, Hugh and Liz for helping conduct today's count. A special mention to Noel and Juliette for making sure I am always well supplied with hot chocolate on these cooler mornings!! It was also great to have several visitors through the day, including Matt who volunteered his keen eyes, and Emily and the ERCA education team who came up to visit us and plan for the school groups visiting later in the week.
Weather: Overcast conditions with cloud cover increasing in the afternoon and strong northerly winds throughout the day. Temperatures in the mid-teens.
Raptor Observations: Raptor of the day was undoubtedly an immature Swainson's Hawk which passed north of us in the late afternoon, giving distant but diagnostic views.
A comparatively quiet day otherwise, although the winds did blow several birds very close and we had really nice views of most species through the day. Harriers continue to move in reasonable numbers with 84 today, as do Kestrels and Sharp-shinned Hawks. Today's 740 Broad-winged Hawks continues to push us closer to another record, as we are now just over four thousands birds away from the highest ever season count for this species at Holiday Beach!
Finally!!! After spending most of the month excruciatingly following every single Trail's Flycatcher through the reeds, willow and dogwood, one finally gave the diagnostic contact call of an Alder Flycatcher to reward our efforts.
It was otherwise fairly quiet with most of the small birds keeping under cover, but we did record our first Common Terns for the season and were entertained by a flock of Chimney Swift dancing above the tower.
Predictions: Overnight showers will limit passerine movement, but hopefully we will see a few more warblers tomorrow that are held up by the easterly forming over Lake Erie in the early morning. Raptor numbers should be slightly lower than today with easterly winds no longer forcing the birds along the north shore of the lake, but we will hopefully still see some falcons and harriers moving in spite of the occasional showers. ======================================================================== Report submitted by Michael Burton-Smith () Holiday Beach Hawk Watch information may be found at: http://hbmo.ca/
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Date: 9/22/26 3:03 pm From: <reports...> Subject: [birders] Detroit River Hawk Watch (22 Sep 2026) 2499 Raptors
Detroit River Hawk Watch
Brownstown, Michigan, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Sep 22, 2026
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Observation start time: 08:00:00
Observation end time: 15:00:00
Total observation time: 7 hours
Official Counter: Gracie Sangmeister
Observers: Andrew Sturgess, Don Sherwood, Mark Hainen, Rebekah Graham ,
Rosemary Brady
Visitors:
We welcome visitors to our site at the Lake Erie Metropark Boat Launch. We
are always willing to discuss the events of the day. Let us share our
enthusiasm with you. There will be busy days, that may require our full
attention, but those are not that frequent, and they provide great thrills
for all. We can predict good days to some degree, but the exact hour is up
to the birds, so be prepared to put in some time for the best results. Pack
a lunch😊
Weather:
�Oh a mighty winds a blowin', it's kickin' up the sand.� Thanks to the
Folkmen for encapsulating our last two days. Another day of double-digit
winds buffeting, not only the birds, but the counters trying to count the
birds. Consistent speeds of eleven to fourteen mph, emanating from the
northeast, give or take a few degrees, kept the birds working hard to make
headway. The cloud formations battled for supremacy, sometimes splitting
the sky with cerulean blue and bright white cirrus clouds on one side,
ominous shades of purple hued assortments of cumulus on the other. In the
end a dreary gray matte finish of low stratus clouds won out. The
temperature reached sixty-three degrees. The barometer, despite the dour
appearance of the sky, topped out at 30.32 inches.
Raptor Observations:
When you shoot a very low round of golf, the following day is usually not
its equal. Such was the case with our totals today compared to yesterday.
Although we did manage to find four digits worth of raptors, it was much
more difficult than yesterday�s five-digit total. Broadwings led the way
with one thousand, nine hundred and ninety-three, starting slowly, and
losing steam from there. Turkey vultures are starting to feel the sap
rising and took the second step on the podium today with two hundred and
eighteen floating by. Sharp-shins were game today in a tough wind, almost
keeping pace with the TUVU�s, two hundred and twelve made the journey.
Twenty-one red-tailed hawks powered through. Kestrels were fluttering by,
thirty-three were counted. Northern harriers were not far behind with
nineteen notches on the bedpost. A single peregrine falcon was noted.
Non-raptor Observations:
The gulls were having their annual picnic in the sky today. They seemingly
populated every point of the matrix today creating confusion as they hawked
insects in front of the hawks. Most of the action took place in the
nose-bleed tiers of the stadium. We did see a handful of pelicans today,
one took to fishing with the cormorants during their daily bacchanalian
feast over the baitfish. Our local kingfisher made an appearance.
Pied-billed grebes are seen daily in the vegetation mat in the slip. Our
local great egret was displaced at the end of the watch by another great
egret, perhaps a shift change. Six super monarchs passed through today. Six
hundred and ninety blue jays passed over early in the watch.
Predictions:
It looks like the clouds will be with us again tomorrow. Temperatures
should be a couple of degrees higher. The winds will continue to howl with
another day of a little more easterly winds, still staying above ten miles
per hour and venturing up to fourteen. Make it stop! My face canna take no
more, as Scotty might say. The barometer will stay high, well above thirty
inches. The winds from this direction at the speeds predicted may push the
birds to the west before they reach our neck of the woods. The sharpies
should show up but broadwings, who I suspect their best days are behind
them, will probably not fill the skies tomorrow.
========================================================================
Report submitted by Andrew Sturgess (<ajyes72...>)
Detroit River Hawk Watch information may be found at:
http://www.detroitriverhawkwatch.org
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Observation start time: 07:00:00 Observation end time: 15:00:00 Total observation time: 8 hours
Official Counter: Michael Burton-Smith
Observers: Chad Cornish, Chip Ogglesby, Hugh Kent, Juliette Herdman, Karen Padbury, Kitty Bradshaw, Noel Herdman, Olga Klekner, Peter Veighey, Wade Carlton
Visitors: Thanks to our counters Hugh, Chad, Chip, Noel, Juliette, Kitty, Wade, Olga, Karen and Peter who helped manage the chaos on the tower and kindly donated their clicker fingers to the cause! We also had plenty of visitors on the tower throughout the day, many of whom had jumped out of bed this morning after seeing the forecast of a north wind - we were not disappointed!
Weather: Overcast conditions, with 100% cloud cover but no fog or haze so good visibility throughout the day. Winds from the north, occasionally strong gusts particularly in the late afternoon. Temperatures in the mid-teens throughout the day.
Raptor Observations: Once again, two days of rain in the midst of Broad-winged Hawk migration stopped the birds in their tracks, and they were eager in their thousands to take advantage of today's dry conditions. The strong northerly wind made flying difficult, and the raptors were condensed low and along the northern shores of Lake Erie, giving great viewing conditions for all of us on the tower, although simultaneously making counting harder with birds buffeted back and forth by the strong winds.
It was another record breaking day on the tower, with our fifth highest ever day tally for Northern Harrier (125), and our sixth highest single-day tally of Broad-winged Hawk (42,732). This pushes the season tally for Broad-winged Hawk over 100,000. The peak hours were between 0900 and 1100 EST, when 34,431 birds moved through in just two hours, including two massive flocks of 4900 and 4800 individuals.
We also had sizeable movements of Sharp-shinned Hawk (1239) and American Kestrel (266), and another early cluster of Turkey Vulture (710).
Ominously for our counting crew, the morning count was soundtracked by 729 migrating Blue Jays, our first major movement of this species for the year. Is another one-million-blue-jay-season approaching??
A relatively quiet day otherwise. Most notable was an influx of 111 American White Pelicans, our highest count of the season to date. These have moved in to take advantage of the new surface area on the marsh that has been exposed by the retreating lilies. Hopefully we will see numbers continue to grow in the coming week. We also had a season first for the tower with a female Lesser Scaup observed on the lake. Cold conditions have seen a serious decline in insect activity, with just sixteen monarchs and no dragonflies through the day.
Predictions: Similar weather conditions are expected tomorrow, with strong northerly winds and heavy cloud cover. Heavy cloud cover through the night and strong northerly winds will likely dampen any passerine activity around the tower, and while we would expect more Broad-winged and Sharp-shinned Hawks, there will likely not be the same backlog as we had today. That being said, the cloud cover and winds will continue to push birds right over the tower, meaning good opportunities to view migrating raptors at comparatively close range in the early to mid-morning. ======================================================================== Report submitted by Michael Burton-Smith () Holiday Beach Hawk Watch information may be found at: http://hbmo.ca/
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Date: 9/21/26 2:50 pm From: <reports...> Subject: [birders] Detroit River Hawk Watch (21 Sep 2026) 32672 Raptors
Detroit River Hawk Watch
Brownstown, Michigan, USA
Daily Raptor Counts: Sep 21, 2026
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Observation start time: 08:00:00
Observation end time: 16:00:00
Total observation time: 8 hours
Official Counter: Gracie Sangmeister
Observers: Alexa Blankenship, Andrew Sturgess, Bill Peregord,
Don Sherwood, Johannes Postma, Mark Hainen, Rebekah Graham,
Rosemary Brady
Visitors:
We welcome visitors to our site at the Lake Erie Metropark Boat Launch. We
are always willing to discuss the events of the day. Let us share our
enthusiasm with you. There will be busy days, that may require our full
attention, but those are not that frequent, and they provide great thrills
for all. We can predict good days to some degree, but the exact hour is up
to the birds, so be prepared to put in some time for the best results. Pack
a lunch😊
Weather:
And�they�re off! We had our own avian version of the Kentucky Derby this
morning. That race is a land rush of sorts, and so it was from the opening
bell this morning. Broadwings were counted as we got out of the cars in the
parking lot. Usually, we have a slow first hour, but I suspect the two
previous rainy days had caused a backup on the freeway. The skies never
really cleared as we had cloud cover all day long. Today�s wind speed graph
looks like the stock market graph when the market is described as
�volatile.� Although generally faithful to the northeast or north-northeast
direction, the strength bounced around in the ten to fifteen mph range
ebbing and flowing with rapid noticeable changes at times. The temperature
only reached sixty degrees, so with the wind taken into account, it was a
fall day, a day before the autumnal equinox.
Raptor Observations:
Another spectacular day for broadwings. One has to marvel, no matter how
many times you have witnessed it, at the sheer numbers of birds that have
managed to find each other in order to keep company as they venture to
South America. Long relentless streams of these birds pass through if you
are lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time. We ended the
day with thirty-one thousand, nine-hundred and sixty-three specimens racing
by on the robust winds. Three other species surpassed the century mark
today, with sharpies topping that group with three hundred and forty-one.
The turkey vultures are starting to move in bigger numbers with two hundred
and thirty making the move today. Kestrels were itching to go with one
hundred and six fighting the winds. Counting the lone peregrine and a pair
of merlins, we did get the falcon hat-trick today. Hopefully the Red-wings
will remember what one is this season. Eighteen northern harriers rocked
through today. Three bald eagles were counted, and a solo Cooper�s hawk
made the count complete.
Non-raptor Observations:
Swallow flak was an issue today as they persistently flew though our optics
as they sought sustenance aloft. Mute swans were seen at the jetty by
Celeron Island. The terns are still present and accounted for. Our resident
log-rolling great egret continues to announce his presence. The local
ospreys are still here but it was pretty choppy out there today so no easy
pickings from the lake. A pair of shorebirds were seen at a distance. A
Carolina wren emceed the music for the rave. Our first blue jays came by in
numbers today with three hundred and ninety being counted. Twenty three
monarchs were brave today.
Predictions:
The barometer will be headed up again tomorrow; the winds will be robust
and northeasterly again. Cloud cover will be significant. The temperatures
will be a couple of degrees warmer. Another multilayer day for the first
day of astronomical fall as the equinox will occur at 8:05 EDT. The sun
will rise in the east and set in the west, exactly. What is not exact is
the guess work that goes into predicting raptor migration. All things look
good for tomorrow, on paper. Whether that yields good results is another
matter. We should get a lot of sharpies and kestrels as their moment in the
sun has arrived. Broadwings? I don�t think we have seen the last of them
but they slowed down in the later hours of the watch today. Let�s hope they
reload and come at us with renewed vigor tomorrow.
========================================================================
Report submitted by Andrew Sturgess (<ajyes72...>)
Detroit River Hawk Watch information may be found at:
http://www.detroitriverhawkwatch.org
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Observation start time: 07:00:00 Observation end time: 15:00:00 Total observation time: 8 hours
Official Counter: Chad Cornish
Observers: Daniel Lee, Jaron Wilkinson, Jeremy Bensette, Kitty Bradshaw, Michael Burton-Smith, Noel Herdman, Paul Gosselin
Visitors: A huge thank you to all of our HBMO volunteers who worked very hard to prepare for the festival under adverse weather conditions. Thanks also to all the observers who toughed it out today on the soggy and very slippery tower: Jeremy B., Paul G., Jaron W., Daniel L., Kitty, Michael B-S., and last but certainly not least Noel H. We also had many visitors to the tower today, including several youngsters who were very keen to learn more about raptors.
Weather: Steady rainfall throughout the morning until noon, with northern winds clipping a little stronger than the previous day. The temperature would drop from almost 18C to a chilly 14C by end of day.
Raptor Observations: Day 2 of our Festival of Hawks proved to be a slow starter, but very rewarding in the afternoon. A few raptors did fly early, with Merlins as per usual zipping by all day unperturbed. The majority however would wait until noon, when the rain subsided and the northern winds picked up a notch. A steady stream of birds then took a line from directly behind the trout pond and straight through the marsh for two solid hours. Sharp-shinned Hawks entered the winner's circle today (356) followed by Broad-winged (154), American Kestrel (50), Northern Harrier (34), Turkey Vultures (16), Merlin (12), Cooper's Hawk (4), Osprey (2), Red-Tailed Hawk (2), and a lone Bald Eagle took the sky highway west.
Non-raptor Observations: Another productive day around the tower with 68 species observed, including 17 Warbler species. The first Swamp Sparrow of the season was also observed today. To view the HBMO checklist follow the link below: https://ebird.org/checklist/S394760432
Predictions: Tomorrow's forecast calls for a mainly cloudy sky, a 30% chance of showers (please not again), a high of 18C, and the all-important winds gusting from the northeast. Let's hope the backlog of wet raptors will shake it off and take to the skies. ======================================================================== Report submitted by Chad Cornish (<mail...>) Holiday Beach Hawk Watch information may be found at: http://hbmo.ca/
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Date: 9/20/26 3:43 pm From: <reports...> Subject: [birders] Detroit River Hawk Watch (20 Sep 2026) 614 Raptors
Detroit River Hawk Watch Brownstown, Michigan, USA Daily Raptor Counts: Sep 20, 2026 -------------------------------------------------------------------
Observation start time: 08:00:00 Observation end time: 15:00:00 Total observation time: 2.75 hours
Official Counter: Gracie Sangmeister
Observers: Bella Maiwurm, Erika Van Kirk, Rebekah Graham
Visitors: We welcome visitors to our site at the Lake Erie Metropark Boat Launch. We are always willing to discuss the events of the day. Let us share our enthusiasm with you. There will be busy days, that may require our full attention, but those are not that frequent, and they provide great thrills for all. We can predict good days to some degree, but the exact hour is up to the birds, so be prepared to put in some time for the best results. Pack a lunch 🤠
Weather: The counters appeared faithfully on site at 9am and were greeted with steady winds and persistent rain. We took shelter under the Hawk Fest event table and greeted visitors who braved the weather, sending them away with brochures and invitations to come a drier day. Towards 11:30am we broke the tent down and partook in festivities at the nearby Marsh Museum, expecting to cancel the count for the rest of the day. At noon there was a brief reprieve in the rain and we decided to see what would come of a count. Though we twice hid in a vehicle and under a tree due to rain, we were able to spend the vast majority of the afternoon counting as usual. The barometer stayed well below 30", but with strong NNE winds we were able to count quite a few raptors. Humidity stayed high, stratus clouds covered the sky, and visibility was excellent.
Raptor Observations: The broad-winged hawks could not wait for a better day to travel, surprising us with several small kettles amounting to five hundred and eighty-four. Sharp-shins, nonchalant as ever about the weather, numbered twenty in total. Five kestrels crossed over, as did a lone red-tailed hawk, northern harrier, and peregrine falcon. Altogether, six hundred and fourteen raptors made the trip today.
Non-raptor Observations: Two local Cooper's hawks tussled with each other and a cormorant up the channel. Not to be outdone bullying the cormorants, a herring gull stole a fish right out of one's mouth, causing great excitement on the shore. A caspian tern successfully fished and successfully ate it before anyone noticed. The resident egret stayed loyal to its log. The swallows were in abundance, swirling en masse over the water. Six monarchs bravely fluttered past.
Predictions: Good NE winds, a decent barometer, and a lack of stormy, rainy weather makes tomorrow a promising day by current predictions. Given today's rainy day birds, I wouldn't be surprised if tomorrow brought a few more broad-wings and sharp-shins. As ever, though, these things have a way of changing and moving in unpredictable ways. ======================================================================== Report submitted by Erika Van Kirk (<erika_vankirk...>) Detroit River Hawk Watch information may be found at: http://www.detroitriverhawkwatch.org
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